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Way of the Wicked Playthrough - Updated 2023/03/28
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<blockquote data-quote="rchodges" data-source="post: 8437323" data-attributes="member: 7031385"><p><strong>Part 1:</strong> Knot of Thorns</p><p><strong>Act 4: </strong>Burning Balentyne!</p><p><strong>Session 8:</strong> Dangerous Drinking with Dwarves</p><p></p><p>“Tamsen”, Donovan whispered softly to the naked female lying curled next to him in the bed. The group had enjoyed their first night in Aldencross, having spent time shopping and then drinking with the residents of the town who were enjoying their evening in the Lord’s Dalliance. The hours and customers went, and with the stillness Donovan and the others had retired to their respective bedchambers. After the many nights Donovan and the others had been forced to sleep on the deck of the Frosthamar with the rest of the crew, being alone with Tamsen was pure luxury. But the silence was new now, the lack of hearing talking or the waves lapping against the boat; and in the absence of those sounds, Donovan found himself hearing things taking place downstairs in the main part of the Inn. </p><p>For her part, Tamsen slightly stirred. “Mmm, Donovan, you’re so feisty tonight.” Her arms, legs and tail began to coil and wrap around Donovan’s form, especially her tail that found its way closer. </p><p>While Donovan may have craved such attentions from Tamsen, he was more curious on the unfamiliar noises going on. “Tamsen”, Donovan called out again, more insistently. Tamsen opened one eye, looking over at Donovan. </p><p>“What?”, Tamsen whined, not wanting to be moved from her position. </p><p>“Wake up, Tamsen. Something is going on downstairs.”, Donovan insisted. </p><p>Tamsen rolled on top of Donovan, “And?” </p><p>Donovan smiled back at Tamsen, “And I want you to go check on it.” </p><p>Tamsen made a pouting face, not wanting to be pulled from her prey. “Why me?” </p><p>Donovan chuckled, “Because you can put on my shirt and go downstairs. I have to get fully dressed.” </p><p>Tamsen resigned herself for the time being, “Fine.” </p><p>Grabbing Donovan’s shirt, she threw it on over her form. While the shirt was slightly large for her, it left little to the imagination, and Tamsen made no effort to button it up. Tamsen carefully opened the door, moving to the edge of the walkway on the second floor and staring down onto the ground floor. Tamsen could now hear the individual who was moving around. Bellum Barhold, the owner of the Inn, was moving to what appeared to be the cellar area. Gingerly, Tamsen stepped down the staircase to the first floor. She was attempting to be quiet, but was hardly practiced in the arts of subtlety and remaining hidden. Still, luck was with Tamsen tonight, as she was able to get down to the area where Bellum was standing in front of a wall. A click was heard by Tamsen, and then she saw a section of the wall Bellum was standing in front of slightly move forward. </p><p>“A hidden passageway.”, Tamsen thought silently to Donovan. </p><p>“As the soldiers has spoken of in their discussions last night. What a fortunate opportunity for us.”, Donovan’s voice echoed in Tamsen’s mind. </p><p>Suddenly, as if he was able to hear them talking, Bellum spun around, seeing Tamsen standing not too far from him. In an effort to conceal his actions, Bellum leaned back against the wall, causing it to close with another barely audible click. “Good lady, what are you doing out of your room? Do you need something?” </p><p>Tamsen moved closer to Bellum, a gentle smile on her face. “Donovan heard something from our room, and he wanted me to make sure you were ok.” </p><p>Once Tamsen’s form was fully visible in the lantern light, Bellum’s face became flushed with embarrassment, and he made an effort to look away. Bellum stumbled out some explanation, caught between the lie he was attempting to tell and being in complete shock at the brazenness of this woman who was approaching him. “Oh, everything is fine, good lady. Thank you so much for worrying about me. Let me get you two a bottle of our better wine to express my gratitude.” </p><p>Tamsen giggled slightly, watching another man fall over himself in her presence. “You’re so sweet, Bellum. Are you sure everything is ok?” Bellum quickly cast his eyes over a few bottles of wine, then pushed one in Tamsen’s direction, all the while making pains to avoid looking at her. </p><p>“What do you want me to do, Donovan?”, Tamsen thought in her mind. </p><p>“Come back to bed, my love. We can share that wine together.”, Donovan responded happily. </p><p>Tamsen sighed with glee, slid one of the glasses off the bar while watching the diverted gaze of Bellum, and softly made her way back up the stairs and into the bedchambers.</p><p></p><p>Morning came, and while Donovan did hear other noises at the start of the day, chose to instead spend a few extra hours in the company of Tamsen. When they did finally awake, they met with the rest of the group downstairs. Lucius had already been looking into the activities of the kitchen and had started working with the chef that Bellum had hired for dishes to be prepared for the evening. Bellum seemed genuinely interested in the work, and even offered to pay for each plate that he sold. </p><p>Lucius smiled at the offer. “Thank you for your generosity. I need to go pick up a few ingredients for these dishes.” </p><p>Having said that, Lucius left the Inn with Donovan and the others. </p><p>“First things first,”, Donovan said to everyone in the group. “We need to go pick up some supplies.” Donovan took the group shopping through the town, picking up clothing and costume jewelry. </p><p>Bebop was confused, “Why are we buying fancy clothes and fake jewelry?” </p><p>Donovan simply flashed a knowing smile, and Lucius chimed in, “I see what you are up to, Donovan.” </p><p>They then stopped off at an equipment store, picking up some dehydrated food and potable water. As they were headed back to the docks, Lucius suggested that they should also buy some fish hooks. </p><p>“Ah, very interesting. I hadn’t even considered that possibility.”, Donovan replied. </p><p>With all of their gear and supplies in hand, the group returned to the Frosthamar. </p><p>Donovan pulled one of the member of the crew aside. “Take these supplies, and return to the place where you found the Yutak. Once you arrive there, hand them this envelope, and make whatever trades they offer to you. Return with what they provide, and I’ll split the profits with you and the rest of the crew fifty-fifty.” </p><p>The crew was surprised at these instructions, but they agreed with Donovan’s terms, and set sail for the last known encounter with the Yutak. “With any luck, they’ll be able to begin taking advantage of this trade opportunity.”, Donovan spoke out loud, to no one in particular. Donovan clapped his hands together, “Alright, time to get some poison!” </p><p>Lucius chimed up, “Poison you say? I know a lot of sources of poison, let me go speak to the dockmaster.” </p><p>Finding the individual Lucius was seeking, he regaled the dockmaster with tales of Donovan and his unique culinary tastes, and then suggested that if the dockmaster would have a ship go fish for those specimens, Lucius would reward the dockmaster handsomely. Lucius seemed very convincing, at least by any reasonable measure. The dockmaster said that he would attempt to find a boat that would seek out those fish, and would bring them back for purchase. </p><p>“I assume you are planning to poison members of the watch wall leadership with these, correct?”, Donovan queried Lucius after departing the dockmaster, a handful of gold poorer. </p><p>“Right. We won’t be able to get everyone with the stew, so we’ll need different options for the other people in the castle.” </p><p>Hearing those words from Lucius, Donovan nodded. “That’s all fine and well, but we’re still going to need a chemical compound to place into the stew for the majority of the soldiers.” </p><p>With that, the group found a local alchemist shop that was selling arsenic. Donovan purchased every bit of the substance that they had in stock, talking about developing a new potion for resisting poisons. “Alchemy is science, and science requires experimentation.” The shop owner smiled and nodded, wishing Donovan well in his experiments. </p><p>After leaving the store, Lucius made a suggestion, “We should cause a rat infestation now.” </p><p>Donovan and the others laughed at the sheer capitalistic notions that had been put forward by Lucius. </p><p>“We’ll have to figure out the proper ratio needed to create the desired affect when ingested.”, Donovan explained to Lucius. </p><p>“You want me to try it out on the dwarves to see what it will take, Donovan?” </p><p>Donovan shook his head, “Not yet. First, I’m getting the money back from them that they stole from Bebop in those so called ‘card games’ last night. Barnabus thinks he’s quite the drinker, but he has no ideal what an Alchemist can do.”</p><p></p><p>Donovan returned to his room, unpacking the portable lab he carried around, and dug through various herbs and ingredients before setting them on the table. He began preparing a tincture that he believed would assist in the upcoming challenge. While Donovan was performing this task, Tamsen and Bebop were downstairs interacting with a few of the patrons that had already showed up for the evening, and Lucius returned to the kitchen in order to begin efforts on the evening’s meal. While nothing of particular interest was said, several soldiers offered Tamsen their available coin in order to get her more personal attentions. Tamsen teased and toyed with them, working them into a respective frenzy as they offered to pool all of their monies together just so one of them could have a one-on-one session with her. </p><p>Tamsen felt Donovan’s mind reach out to her, “My love, please have Bebop come upstairs, I’m ready here.” </p><p>Tamsen relayed the telepathic communication to Bebop, and Bebop went upstairs into Donovan’s room. </p><p>Donovan produced a flask, filled with a milky white substance, and pushed it towards Bebop. “Drink.”, Donovan said without fanfare. </p><p>Bebop looked warily at the flask. He knew that Donovan was quite good at creating substances that accomplished the goal that was trying to be accomplished, but the taste could be of very poor quality. Bracing himself, Bebop put the flask to his lips, and tilted it back, causing the substance to pour down Bebop’s throat. While the taste of the substance wasn’t bad, it was quite chalky and thick. Even after drinking it, he still felt the liquid coating his mouth and throat. </p><p>“Blech.”, was the only response from Bebop. </p><p>Donovan stared at Bebop momentarily, as if checking for a possible reaction, then smiled. “You ready to go win that money back?” </p><p>Bebop shrugged, “Sure, why not?”</p><p></p><p>Donovan and Bebop headed downstairs, finding Barnabus Eisenbauch and his retinue at the usual place in the tavern. Donovan, facing the Dwarf, opened his widest smile before he spoke, as Barnabus smiled and pointed at Donovan. “So Barnabus, I hear that you are the greatest drinker in all of Talingarde?” </p><p>Barnabus’ ego was on prime display, “You mean all the world, aye!” </p><p>Donovan chuckled, “Now that my good friend Bebop here has had a chance to get off a boat and get some real food in him, I think he can outdrink you, and I’m willing to put a wager on it.” </p><p>Barnabus, feeling even more confident at Bebop’s poor showing the previous night, was emboldened, “Your friend can only handle his drinks some of the time, how pitiful.” </p><p>Donovan smiled, gritting his teeth. “Very funny Barnabus. Let’s make it a simple wager. Five hundred gold.” </p><p>Barnabus had been laughing up to that point, but then hesitated when he heard that number. “What? You expect me to go fetch the five hundred gold from my room?” </p><p>Donovan shook his head and opened his hands wide in front of Barnabus. “Not at all! I know you’re a man of honor. Besides, you’re going to win anyway, right?” </p><p>Barnabus chuckled and smirked again, “Obviously.” </p><p>“Then Barnabus, we have a bet.” Donovan spun around and called out to the tavern owner, “Bellum, open a tab for me. We’re having a drinking contest!” </p><p></p><p>A roar came out of the patrons of the Lord’s Dalliance, as the first of what would be many drinks were brought proffered to the two challengers. As the crowds of the tavern gather around the two, Lucius took the opportunity to summon Lucinda, tasking her to investigate the hidden passage that Bellum had opened earlier that morning. Even though patrons were around in the area, the excitement going on from the drinking game kept the attention of the audience. While Lucinda didn’t know where the switch was located, her expertise in locating such things made it a relatively simple process for her. She quietly pulled the wall open enough for her to enter into the hidden area, then pulled it shut behind her. There was no light currently available in this passageway, but such issues were no problem for an Eidolon. She began making her way through a long stone worked passageway, clearly formed using a different building style than what was used for the Lord’s Dalliance. Lucinda continued to relay this information to her master, making note of the items that had been placed in the long winding hallway. At the end of the hallway, another doorway was discovered with wine crates nearby. Thinking about this, Lucius and Donovan agreed that Bellum had undoubtedly been using this for a while to swap out high quality alcohols for lower quality or spoiled alcohol. Pushing open the door on the other side, Lucinda discovered the presence of a storeroom filled with food and potable water, clearly for hundreds of individuals over a long period of time. This would allow the Watch Wall to continue to function during a siege. Lucinda identified a hole in the ceiling, which assumedly would connect with the rest of the castle. With this information, the group would be able to get into and out of the Watch Wall on their schedule. Discovering this information, Lucius unsummoned Lucinda back, in order to prevent her from having to open the doorway again.</p><p></p><p>The drinking contest continued for some time, before one of the Dwarves stood up, “It is customary at this time to allow the contestants to use the restroom and stretch their legs.” Barnabus and Bebop both agreed to that, and Bebop left to use the restroom. One of the female dwarves followed up surreptitiously behind Bebop, which attracted Tamsen’s attention. She followed the two of them into the restroom. Barnabus quickly returned to his seat, still as confident and chatty as ever. </p><p>Looking up at Donovan, he guffawed, “I bet he passes out in there! Or maybe he’s too much of a coward to return to the table.” </p><p>Donovan laughed along with Barnabus. “You don’t think he’s going to return, Barnabus?” </p><p>“I doubt it.”, the Dwarf confidently replied. </p><p>“Well then, why don’t we raise the wager to six hundred gold?” Barnabus licked his lips, his greed and pride apparent for Donovan to read. </p><p>“I knew you liked to spend money, Donovan. I didn’t know you liked to give it away! We have a bet!” </p><p>And with that, Barnabus confidently raised his tankard. Meanwhile, in the restroom, Bebop was finishing up and getting ready to return. Just then, the female Dwarf confidently pushed her way into the area that Bebop was using. She had apparently decided that Bebop’s stamina and endurance probably translated well into other parts of his anatomy, and was curious to find out more. Bebop was very excited, pushing himself into the female, losing himself in the moment. Tamsen pushed open the door, and caught the two of them becoming very interested in each other. </p><p>Bebop laughed in an almost half stupor, “Wow, threesome!” </p><p>Hearing that and seeing the smirk on Tamsen’s face, the Dwarven female began to lose her nerve, “I don’t know what you were expecting, but that’s not what I am here for. You people are weird.” </p><p>The Dwarf fled the bathroom, and a frustrated Bebop attempted to go after her, but Tamsen stopped Bebop before he could leave. </p><p>“What the hells, Tamsen?”, Bebop gave Tamsen an annoyed look. </p><p>Tamsen’s eyes narrowed as she grabbed Bebop by the jaw. “Donovan expects you to finish the contest, and that’s what you are going to do. I’ll take care of the girl, you get back to the table, now.” </p><p>“Fine.”, Bebop stormed out of the restroom and back to the table, sitting down with a grim look on his face. </p><p>Barnabus, seeing the determination coming from Bebop, actually began to feel somewhat concerned. Each of them were somehow even more determined to push forward than when they began.</p><p></p><p>Tamsen took the opportunity to find and speak with the Dwarven female who she had encountered in the restroom. Tamsen apologized to her, then played up the excitement of Bebop. </p><p>The Dwarf was somewhat confused, asking Tamsen, “I thought you and Donovan were together.” </p><p>Tamsen smiled, “We are, which should tell you just how good Bebop must be for me.” </p><p>The Dwarf was clearly curious about what was being said to her.</p><p></p><p>Bellum approached Donovan as he was watching the contest, “Things seem to be going pretty well!” </p><p>Donovan smiled at Bellum, “Have you ever seen two people drink this much?” </p><p>Bellum shook his head, “No, I honestly have never seen anyone go this long against Barnabus Eisenbauch.” Pausing momentarily, Bellum attempted to probe Donovan further, “Have you heard about the passageway between the Lord’s Dalliance and the Watch Wall?” </p><p>Donovan turned his head to pay more attention to Bellum, “A couple of the soldiers had mentioned that last night. Is that a real thing?” Bellum shook his head, “No, of course not. But, I thought it to be an interesting rumor.” </p><p>Donovan’s eyes narrowed, “Yes, I agree. Can you imagine how much space that would represent if it was real, however?” </p><p>It was apparent to Donovan that Bellum was attempting to get information out of him; but he wanted Bellum to confirm the presence of the passageway before Donovan confirmed that Tamsen had indeed seen the opening. Donovan was not planning on being intentionally dishonest; but he also would not reveal his hand without seeing what Bellum knew. Still, Bellum’s lie actually revealed more than perhaps he would have realized, since Donovan now understood that Bellum wanted to make sure that no one in the town knew of the presence of this passageway. That meant that the members of the Watch Wall would not be looking for this passageway once Donovan and his family began exploring.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Barnabus and Bebop were continuing to drink; but now, the drinks were beginning to show signs of impacting Barnabus. The signs were simple at first, the glasses were dropped off the table or on their side. Then Barnabus failed to finish his drink, spilling it on himself. </p><p>Donovan began to sense the weakness, “Is this the way people normally participate in drinking games, Bellum?”, to which Bellum shook his head. </p><p>Barnabus, getting frustrated, stood up, “I need to use the restroom.” </p><p>Donovan smiled, “Already? It seems like we just stopped for a break.” </p><p>“I need to use the restroom!”, Barnabus roared. </p><p>“Please, Barnabus, be my guest. You’re doing great so far!”, Donovan stared intently at Barnabus. </p><p>The group of Dwarves, who had up to this point been laughing and talking with one another, begin to get quiet as they watched Barnabus’ resolve slowly dissolve. As Barnabus moved into the restroom, Donovan looked up at Tamsen across the room. Without even needing to express the thought, Tamsen knew what Donovan wanted her to do. She followed him into the restroom. Paying attention to Barnabus as he stumbled through the room, Tamsen watched as Barnabus struggled to even manage to relieve himself. After a few moments, Barnabus regained his footing somewhat as he moved back into the tavern. It was clear to everyone in the room that there was little left of Barnabus’ constitution. Donovan decided to push Barnabus into quitting. </p><p>“How are you feeling Barnabus?”, Donovan feigned concern. </p><p>Barnabus, still somehow feeling confident enough to mock, toyed with Donovan yet again, “I’m feeling like I’m about to have quite a bit of your gold!” </p><p>Donovan smirked, “Great, then let’s raise the wager to an even one thousand gold.” </p><p>Barnabus’ eyes widened. “You don’t even have one thousand gold!” </p><p>Without even looking away, Donovan’s hand slid into his purse, rolling effortlessly through the different coins he was carrying in order to set out even piles of money on the table, adding up to exactly the agreed upon number. “One thousand gold. So, are we agreed?” </p><p>The entire company of Dwarves, barring Barnabus, stared in fear at the stacks of money on the table, as they knew what it represented. Barnabus was too far gone to realize what was taking place, so he once agreed to Donovan’s terms. The next drinks were brought forward. And, as the third drink of the set was being consumed, and Barnabus set the mug to the table, his body began to fall limp to the side, only stopping when caught by one of the other Dwarves. </p><p>Without a hint of levity on his face, Donovan looked at that Dwarf, and speaking in Dwarven, said “Is that enough?” </p><p>The Dwarf looked back at Donovan, and responded to him in Dwarven, “The Engineers are retiring for the evening. Barnabus will speak to you about the wager in the morning.” </p><p>“Yes, yes he will.” Turning around, Donovan called out to Bellum, “Can I get some water here, please?” </p><p>One of the ladies brought the glass in, and Donovan poured a powder into the glass, then handed the fizzing substance to Bebop. “Drink. This will help stop your hangover tomorrow.” The concoction was salty, but otherwise pleasant enough. </p><p>“You did great work tonight, Bebop.”, Donovan patted him on the shoulder. “You probably should try and get some rest and fluids into you. You’re in for a rough day tomorrow.” </p><p>Donovan then walked over to Bellum, gold in hand. “Thank you again for helping to provide tonight’s entertainment, Bellum.” </p><p>Bellum smiled at Donovan, “Don’t I owe you and Lucius for the food plates that were purchased tonight?” </p><p>Lucius shook his head, “We’re not worried about that.”</p><p>Donovan smiled at Lucius, “Thank you for your help with everything tonight. We’ll have to make a decision regarding our engineering friends, and then go forward. But for now, we can take comfort in the fact that we have basically broken that group financially.’ </p><p>With that, Donovan took Tamsen by the hand, and led her upstairs to their room.</p><p></p><p>As night fell, the Dwarven girl snuck out of her own room, and into Bebop’s.</p><p></p><p>Session 8 Ends.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="rchodges, post: 8437323, member: 7031385"] [B]Part 1:[/B] Knot of Thorns [B]Act 4: [/B]Burning Balentyne! [B]Session 8:[/B] Dangerous Drinking with Dwarves “Tamsen”, Donovan whispered softly to the naked female lying curled next to him in the bed. The group had enjoyed their first night in Aldencross, having spent time shopping and then drinking with the residents of the town who were enjoying their evening in the Lord’s Dalliance. The hours and customers went, and with the stillness Donovan and the others had retired to their respective bedchambers. After the many nights Donovan and the others had been forced to sleep on the deck of the Frosthamar with the rest of the crew, being alone with Tamsen was pure luxury. But the silence was new now, the lack of hearing talking or the waves lapping against the boat; and in the absence of those sounds, Donovan found himself hearing things taking place downstairs in the main part of the Inn. For her part, Tamsen slightly stirred. “Mmm, Donovan, you’re so feisty tonight.” Her arms, legs and tail began to coil and wrap around Donovan’s form, especially her tail that found its way closer. While Donovan may have craved such attentions from Tamsen, he was more curious on the unfamiliar noises going on. “Tamsen”, Donovan called out again, more insistently. Tamsen opened one eye, looking over at Donovan. “What?”, Tamsen whined, not wanting to be moved from her position. “Wake up, Tamsen. Something is going on downstairs.”, Donovan insisted. Tamsen rolled on top of Donovan, “And?” Donovan smiled back at Tamsen, “And I want you to go check on it.” Tamsen made a pouting face, not wanting to be pulled from her prey. “Why me?” Donovan chuckled, “Because you can put on my shirt and go downstairs. I have to get fully dressed.” Tamsen resigned herself for the time being, “Fine.” Grabbing Donovan’s shirt, she threw it on over her form. While the shirt was slightly large for her, it left little to the imagination, and Tamsen made no effort to button it up. Tamsen carefully opened the door, moving to the edge of the walkway on the second floor and staring down onto the ground floor. Tamsen could now hear the individual who was moving around. Bellum Barhold, the owner of the Inn, was moving to what appeared to be the cellar area. Gingerly, Tamsen stepped down the staircase to the first floor. She was attempting to be quiet, but was hardly practiced in the arts of subtlety and remaining hidden. Still, luck was with Tamsen tonight, as she was able to get down to the area where Bellum was standing in front of a wall. A click was heard by Tamsen, and then she saw a section of the wall Bellum was standing in front of slightly move forward. “A hidden passageway.”, Tamsen thought silently to Donovan. “As the soldiers has spoken of in their discussions last night. What a fortunate opportunity for us.”, Donovan’s voice echoed in Tamsen’s mind. Suddenly, as if he was able to hear them talking, Bellum spun around, seeing Tamsen standing not too far from him. In an effort to conceal his actions, Bellum leaned back against the wall, causing it to close with another barely audible click. “Good lady, what are you doing out of your room? Do you need something?” Tamsen moved closer to Bellum, a gentle smile on her face. “Donovan heard something from our room, and he wanted me to make sure you were ok.” Once Tamsen’s form was fully visible in the lantern light, Bellum’s face became flushed with embarrassment, and he made an effort to look away. Bellum stumbled out some explanation, caught between the lie he was attempting to tell and being in complete shock at the brazenness of this woman who was approaching him. “Oh, everything is fine, good lady. Thank you so much for worrying about me. Let me get you two a bottle of our better wine to express my gratitude.” Tamsen giggled slightly, watching another man fall over himself in her presence. “You’re so sweet, Bellum. Are you sure everything is ok?” Bellum quickly cast his eyes over a few bottles of wine, then pushed one in Tamsen’s direction, all the while making pains to avoid looking at her. “What do you want me to do, Donovan?”, Tamsen thought in her mind. “Come back to bed, my love. We can share that wine together.”, Donovan responded happily. Tamsen sighed with glee, slid one of the glasses off the bar while watching the diverted gaze of Bellum, and softly made her way back up the stairs and into the bedchambers. Morning came, and while Donovan did hear other noises at the start of the day, chose to instead spend a few extra hours in the company of Tamsen. When they did finally awake, they met with the rest of the group downstairs. Lucius had already been looking into the activities of the kitchen and had started working with the chef that Bellum had hired for dishes to be prepared for the evening. Bellum seemed genuinely interested in the work, and even offered to pay for each plate that he sold. Lucius smiled at the offer. “Thank you for your generosity. I need to go pick up a few ingredients for these dishes.” Having said that, Lucius left the Inn with Donovan and the others. “First things first,”, Donovan said to everyone in the group. “We need to go pick up some supplies.” Donovan took the group shopping through the town, picking up clothing and costume jewelry. Bebop was confused, “Why are we buying fancy clothes and fake jewelry?” Donovan simply flashed a knowing smile, and Lucius chimed in, “I see what you are up to, Donovan.” They then stopped off at an equipment store, picking up some dehydrated food and potable water. As they were headed back to the docks, Lucius suggested that they should also buy some fish hooks. “Ah, very interesting. I hadn’t even considered that possibility.”, Donovan replied. With all of their gear and supplies in hand, the group returned to the Frosthamar. Donovan pulled one of the member of the crew aside. “Take these supplies, and return to the place where you found the Yutak. Once you arrive there, hand them this envelope, and make whatever trades they offer to you. Return with what they provide, and I’ll split the profits with you and the rest of the crew fifty-fifty.” The crew was surprised at these instructions, but they agreed with Donovan’s terms, and set sail for the last known encounter with the Yutak. “With any luck, they’ll be able to begin taking advantage of this trade opportunity.”, Donovan spoke out loud, to no one in particular. Donovan clapped his hands together, “Alright, time to get some poison!” Lucius chimed up, “Poison you say? I know a lot of sources of poison, let me go speak to the dockmaster.” Finding the individual Lucius was seeking, he regaled the dockmaster with tales of Donovan and his unique culinary tastes, and then suggested that if the dockmaster would have a ship go fish for those specimens, Lucius would reward the dockmaster handsomely. Lucius seemed very convincing, at least by any reasonable measure. The dockmaster said that he would attempt to find a boat that would seek out those fish, and would bring them back for purchase. “I assume you are planning to poison members of the watch wall leadership with these, correct?”, Donovan queried Lucius after departing the dockmaster, a handful of gold poorer. “Right. We won’t be able to get everyone with the stew, so we’ll need different options for the other people in the castle.” Hearing those words from Lucius, Donovan nodded. “That’s all fine and well, but we’re still going to need a chemical compound to place into the stew for the majority of the soldiers.” With that, the group found a local alchemist shop that was selling arsenic. Donovan purchased every bit of the substance that they had in stock, talking about developing a new potion for resisting poisons. “Alchemy is science, and science requires experimentation.” The shop owner smiled and nodded, wishing Donovan well in his experiments. After leaving the store, Lucius made a suggestion, “We should cause a rat infestation now.” Donovan and the others laughed at the sheer capitalistic notions that had been put forward by Lucius. “We’ll have to figure out the proper ratio needed to create the desired affect when ingested.”, Donovan explained to Lucius. “You want me to try it out on the dwarves to see what it will take, Donovan?” Donovan shook his head, “Not yet. First, I’m getting the money back from them that they stole from Bebop in those so called ‘card games’ last night. Barnabus thinks he’s quite the drinker, but he has no ideal what an Alchemist can do.” Donovan returned to his room, unpacking the portable lab he carried around, and dug through various herbs and ingredients before setting them on the table. He began preparing a tincture that he believed would assist in the upcoming challenge. While Donovan was performing this task, Tamsen and Bebop were downstairs interacting with a few of the patrons that had already showed up for the evening, and Lucius returned to the kitchen in order to begin efforts on the evening’s meal. While nothing of particular interest was said, several soldiers offered Tamsen their available coin in order to get her more personal attentions. Tamsen teased and toyed with them, working them into a respective frenzy as they offered to pool all of their monies together just so one of them could have a one-on-one session with her. Tamsen felt Donovan’s mind reach out to her, “My love, please have Bebop come upstairs, I’m ready here.” Tamsen relayed the telepathic communication to Bebop, and Bebop went upstairs into Donovan’s room. Donovan produced a flask, filled with a milky white substance, and pushed it towards Bebop. “Drink.”, Donovan said without fanfare. Bebop looked warily at the flask. He knew that Donovan was quite good at creating substances that accomplished the goal that was trying to be accomplished, but the taste could be of very poor quality. Bracing himself, Bebop put the flask to his lips, and tilted it back, causing the substance to pour down Bebop’s throat. While the taste of the substance wasn’t bad, it was quite chalky and thick. Even after drinking it, he still felt the liquid coating his mouth and throat. “Blech.”, was the only response from Bebop. Donovan stared at Bebop momentarily, as if checking for a possible reaction, then smiled. “You ready to go win that money back?” Bebop shrugged, “Sure, why not?” Donovan and Bebop headed downstairs, finding Barnabus Eisenbauch and his retinue at the usual place in the tavern. Donovan, facing the Dwarf, opened his widest smile before he spoke, as Barnabus smiled and pointed at Donovan. “So Barnabus, I hear that you are the greatest drinker in all of Talingarde?” Barnabus’ ego was on prime display, “You mean all the world, aye!” Donovan chuckled, “Now that my good friend Bebop here has had a chance to get off a boat and get some real food in him, I think he can outdrink you, and I’m willing to put a wager on it.” Barnabus, feeling even more confident at Bebop’s poor showing the previous night, was emboldened, “Your friend can only handle his drinks some of the time, how pitiful.” Donovan smiled, gritting his teeth. “Very funny Barnabus. Let’s make it a simple wager. Five hundred gold.” Barnabus had been laughing up to that point, but then hesitated when he heard that number. “What? You expect me to go fetch the five hundred gold from my room?” Donovan shook his head and opened his hands wide in front of Barnabus. “Not at all! I know you’re a man of honor. Besides, you’re going to win anyway, right?” Barnabus chuckled and smirked again, “Obviously.” “Then Barnabus, we have a bet.” Donovan spun around and called out to the tavern owner, “Bellum, open a tab for me. We’re having a drinking contest!” A roar came out of the patrons of the Lord’s Dalliance, as the first of what would be many drinks were brought proffered to the two challengers. As the crowds of the tavern gather around the two, Lucius took the opportunity to summon Lucinda, tasking her to investigate the hidden passage that Bellum had opened earlier that morning. Even though patrons were around in the area, the excitement going on from the drinking game kept the attention of the audience. While Lucinda didn’t know where the switch was located, her expertise in locating such things made it a relatively simple process for her. She quietly pulled the wall open enough for her to enter into the hidden area, then pulled it shut behind her. There was no light currently available in this passageway, but such issues were no problem for an Eidolon. She began making her way through a long stone worked passageway, clearly formed using a different building style than what was used for the Lord’s Dalliance. Lucinda continued to relay this information to her master, making note of the items that had been placed in the long winding hallway. At the end of the hallway, another doorway was discovered with wine crates nearby. Thinking about this, Lucius and Donovan agreed that Bellum had undoubtedly been using this for a while to swap out high quality alcohols for lower quality or spoiled alcohol. Pushing open the door on the other side, Lucinda discovered the presence of a storeroom filled with food and potable water, clearly for hundreds of individuals over a long period of time. This would allow the Watch Wall to continue to function during a siege. Lucinda identified a hole in the ceiling, which assumedly would connect with the rest of the castle. With this information, the group would be able to get into and out of the Watch Wall on their schedule. Discovering this information, Lucius unsummoned Lucinda back, in order to prevent her from having to open the doorway again. The drinking contest continued for some time, before one of the Dwarves stood up, “It is customary at this time to allow the contestants to use the restroom and stretch their legs.” Barnabus and Bebop both agreed to that, and Bebop left to use the restroom. One of the female dwarves followed up surreptitiously behind Bebop, which attracted Tamsen’s attention. She followed the two of them into the restroom. Barnabus quickly returned to his seat, still as confident and chatty as ever. Looking up at Donovan, he guffawed, “I bet he passes out in there! Or maybe he’s too much of a coward to return to the table.” Donovan laughed along with Barnabus. “You don’t think he’s going to return, Barnabus?” “I doubt it.”, the Dwarf confidently replied. “Well then, why don’t we raise the wager to six hundred gold?” Barnabus licked his lips, his greed and pride apparent for Donovan to read. “I knew you liked to spend money, Donovan. I didn’t know you liked to give it away! We have a bet!” And with that, Barnabus confidently raised his tankard. Meanwhile, in the restroom, Bebop was finishing up and getting ready to return. Just then, the female Dwarf confidently pushed her way into the area that Bebop was using. She had apparently decided that Bebop’s stamina and endurance probably translated well into other parts of his anatomy, and was curious to find out more. Bebop was very excited, pushing himself into the female, losing himself in the moment. Tamsen pushed open the door, and caught the two of them becoming very interested in each other. Bebop laughed in an almost half stupor, “Wow, threesome!” Hearing that and seeing the smirk on Tamsen’s face, the Dwarven female began to lose her nerve, “I don’t know what you were expecting, but that’s not what I am here for. You people are weird.” The Dwarf fled the bathroom, and a frustrated Bebop attempted to go after her, but Tamsen stopped Bebop before he could leave. “What the hells, Tamsen?”, Bebop gave Tamsen an annoyed look. Tamsen’s eyes narrowed as she grabbed Bebop by the jaw. “Donovan expects you to finish the contest, and that’s what you are going to do. I’ll take care of the girl, you get back to the table, now.” “Fine.”, Bebop stormed out of the restroom and back to the table, sitting down with a grim look on his face. Barnabus, seeing the determination coming from Bebop, actually began to feel somewhat concerned. Each of them were somehow even more determined to push forward than when they began. Tamsen took the opportunity to find and speak with the Dwarven female who she had encountered in the restroom. Tamsen apologized to her, then played up the excitement of Bebop. The Dwarf was somewhat confused, asking Tamsen, “I thought you and Donovan were together.” Tamsen smiled, “We are, which should tell you just how good Bebop must be for me.” The Dwarf was clearly curious about what was being said to her. Bellum approached Donovan as he was watching the contest, “Things seem to be going pretty well!” Donovan smiled at Bellum, “Have you ever seen two people drink this much?” Bellum shook his head, “No, I honestly have never seen anyone go this long against Barnabus Eisenbauch.” Pausing momentarily, Bellum attempted to probe Donovan further, “Have you heard about the passageway between the Lord’s Dalliance and the Watch Wall?” Donovan turned his head to pay more attention to Bellum, “A couple of the soldiers had mentioned that last night. Is that a real thing?” Bellum shook his head, “No, of course not. But, I thought it to be an interesting rumor.” Donovan’s eyes narrowed, “Yes, I agree. Can you imagine how much space that would represent if it was real, however?” It was apparent to Donovan that Bellum was attempting to get information out of him; but he wanted Bellum to confirm the presence of the passageway before Donovan confirmed that Tamsen had indeed seen the opening. Donovan was not planning on being intentionally dishonest; but he also would not reveal his hand without seeing what Bellum knew. Still, Bellum’s lie actually revealed more than perhaps he would have realized, since Donovan now understood that Bellum wanted to make sure that no one in the town knew of the presence of this passageway. That meant that the members of the Watch Wall would not be looking for this passageway once Donovan and his family began exploring. Meanwhile, Barnabus and Bebop were continuing to drink; but now, the drinks were beginning to show signs of impacting Barnabus. The signs were simple at first, the glasses were dropped off the table or on their side. Then Barnabus failed to finish his drink, spilling it on himself. Donovan began to sense the weakness, “Is this the way people normally participate in drinking games, Bellum?”, to which Bellum shook his head. Barnabus, getting frustrated, stood up, “I need to use the restroom.” Donovan smiled, “Already? It seems like we just stopped for a break.” “I need to use the restroom!”, Barnabus roared. “Please, Barnabus, be my guest. You’re doing great so far!”, Donovan stared intently at Barnabus. The group of Dwarves, who had up to this point been laughing and talking with one another, begin to get quiet as they watched Barnabus’ resolve slowly dissolve. As Barnabus moved into the restroom, Donovan looked up at Tamsen across the room. Without even needing to express the thought, Tamsen knew what Donovan wanted her to do. She followed him into the restroom. Paying attention to Barnabus as he stumbled through the room, Tamsen watched as Barnabus struggled to even manage to relieve himself. After a few moments, Barnabus regained his footing somewhat as he moved back into the tavern. It was clear to everyone in the room that there was little left of Barnabus’ constitution. Donovan decided to push Barnabus into quitting. “How are you feeling Barnabus?”, Donovan feigned concern. Barnabus, still somehow feeling confident enough to mock, toyed with Donovan yet again, “I’m feeling like I’m about to have quite a bit of your gold!” Donovan smirked, “Great, then let’s raise the wager to an even one thousand gold.” Barnabus’ eyes widened. “You don’t even have one thousand gold!” Without even looking away, Donovan’s hand slid into his purse, rolling effortlessly through the different coins he was carrying in order to set out even piles of money on the table, adding up to exactly the agreed upon number. “One thousand gold. So, are we agreed?” The entire company of Dwarves, barring Barnabus, stared in fear at the stacks of money on the table, as they knew what it represented. Barnabus was too far gone to realize what was taking place, so he once agreed to Donovan’s terms. The next drinks were brought forward. And, as the third drink of the set was being consumed, and Barnabus set the mug to the table, his body began to fall limp to the side, only stopping when caught by one of the other Dwarves. Without a hint of levity on his face, Donovan looked at that Dwarf, and speaking in Dwarven, said “Is that enough?” The Dwarf looked back at Donovan, and responded to him in Dwarven, “The Engineers are retiring for the evening. Barnabus will speak to you about the wager in the morning.” “Yes, yes he will.” Turning around, Donovan called out to Bellum, “Can I get some water here, please?” One of the ladies brought the glass in, and Donovan poured a powder into the glass, then handed the fizzing substance to Bebop. “Drink. This will help stop your hangover tomorrow.” The concoction was salty, but otherwise pleasant enough. “You did great work tonight, Bebop.”, Donovan patted him on the shoulder. “You probably should try and get some rest and fluids into you. You’re in for a rough day tomorrow.” Donovan then walked over to Bellum, gold in hand. “Thank you again for helping to provide tonight’s entertainment, Bellum.” Bellum smiled at Donovan, “Don’t I owe you and Lucius for the food plates that were purchased tonight?” Lucius shook his head, “We’re not worried about that.” Donovan smiled at Lucius, “Thank you for your help with everything tonight. We’ll have to make a decision regarding our engineering friends, and then go forward. But for now, we can take comfort in the fact that we have basically broken that group financially.’ With that, Donovan took Tamsen by the hand, and led her upstairs to their room. As night fell, the Dwarven girl snuck out of her own room, and into Bebop’s. Session 8 Ends. [/QUOTE]
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Way of the Wicked Playthrough - Updated 2023/03/28
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