It's been many days since I last had time to write in this journal, as events have conspired to keep us frantically busy. I'll try, during this short rest, to bring things up to date, although at this point I'm unsure even of how many days have passed. At some point I'll try to get the record straight.
We made it out of the temple and back to the caravan without incident. The boy we found turned out to be the son of Drake's brother, who'd asked me to look for him. We left him in care of the one family with the caravan for now. But we'll have to get him back to Groat eventually. We travelled along for a while towards Basimar, and met up with a fellow traveller named Fred. He seemed like a nice enough guy, and didn't detect as evil, so we allowed him to travel with us. Appearances can be deceiving, however, as the next night, while he and I were on watch, he and his friends attacked. I got sapped, but fortunately didn't fall, so I was able to give the alarm. Chicot leapt up and took one out while I was busy getting hit by Fred. Brother Singer got up, but flailed wildly about, and one of the caravan guards took out a bandit. Then the rest of the party got into the act, and the bandits fled. So much for travellers on the road.
The next guy we met seemed much more reasonable, although we were certainly wary of him after our experience with Fred. His name was Quicksilver, and he certainly earned the name. He signed on as a caravan guard with us, and soon got a chance to show his stuff. That night, as we camped near the edge of the woods, we were attacked by giant bees. I've never seen anything like it, they were enormous. Fortunately, they weren't too tough. I nailed one with a magic missile, and Quicksilver was like an elven whirlwind of flashing steel. Chicot brought the last one down, and suddenly it was over. Just one of those moments of sheer terror in the midst of guard boredom .
It wasn't long though, before things got more interesting than we'd like. A man came down the road, stark naked, carrying a heavy chest. We stopped him and tried to help him, but he was obviously raving mad. The chest, as I found out, was filled with dung. I can still taste the bile in my throat from the retching the smell caused, even days later. That should have been our clue that things were not well in Basimar (that and the writings of the priests that said they had evil plans afoot there), but we went on anyway. As we approached the south gate of the city, we were attacked by a hoard of raving lunatics, who fortunately were only armed with sticks and clubs. We struck to subdue, and I cast sleep spells, and we eventually got control. A few of them were killed by accident, before our fighters realized that swords were just too much, but there was little we could do. They were trying to tackle us, using goblin tactics, screaming "Die, die! Burn them all!" and other lovely epithets.
Unfortunately, what they had was a plague, and we were now infected. Glug and Brother pooled their knowledge, and figured out it was a disease that affected the nervous system, and it was very contagious. So much for going back to Groat, we'd only take the plague with us.
We left the caravan hidden in the woods, promising to return with a cure one we found one, and decided to venture into the city in search. Well. Actually I went into the city while the rest of the party waited outside. They ended up coming in after me, though, as I didn't come back. I went around to the North Gate, and found out the entire city wasn't mad, just the south area. The rest of the city was divided into barracade and armed camps, and the whole place was chaos. The north area was the only section still under the control of the city guard. Aslam's friend Zeker was working on a cure, and when I mentioned him I was immediately take in to help, as they were conscripting anyone they could get. Soon the rest of the party followed, and we were given our assignment. Zeker needed a mess of stuff to get a cure made, and it was scattered around the city. Since the place was a burned out war zone, he needed flunkies to go get it for him. Enter us. It seems we had about a week before we went mad from the plague, so we had a very strong incentive to help. Our treasure hunt was for the following items:
Unfortunately, the main temple was in the middle of the south section, under the control of the red robed priests, and filled with raving lunatics. Oh joy. This couldn't be easy. We were also to keep an eye out for Zeker's assistant Danell, who had vanished while seeking the items at the temple some time ago.
Our first day out, we headed south and then west, in search of the alchemist's shop and the copper shop. We found the alchemist easily enough, except that it had been looted and was filled with strangely colored smoke. I braved the smoke, went in, picked the lock to the back room, and got the powdered Dragon's Tooth. I also picked up a little gold powder for use as spell components. On the way out, though, I breathed some of the gas, and I've been feeling a little clumsier ever since. I'm still hoping I'll get over it, as it's only been a few days, but it hasn't happened yet.
We also found another zone of control. The merchants control the west gate area, and they were able to provide us with a crate of tea. Two down, three to go. We holed up for the night, and met some refugees who needed escort to the north section. The next day, we headed north and swung by Cooper's Copper. The proprieter was holed up in the basement, and we found from him that the copper boiler had been sold to an orphanage by the east gate. Wheee. All the way on the other side of town. We escorted the refugees to the guard's protection, and dropped off the stuff we'd found. We also picked up a better map of town, although it was still woefully incomplete.
Time being short, we started off toward the south area. Time to beard the priests in their den. That is, if we could get that far. Barricades were everywhere, painted with graffitti saying things like "The Phoenix is endless," and "Long live Chanticleer." At one point, we got trapped in a house by a mob of lunatics from a bonfire, who obviously had the plague. Glug summoned a dust devil and we fled in the wake of its passage to a warehouse just north of the red robe's section of town. At this point, I decided I should do a little exploring on my own.
That night, I slipped in under cover of darkness. I strung a rope between two chimneys and went in over the rooftops. I made my way south to the Temple of the Pools, a truly impressive edifice set in the middle of a large park. Eight pools surround a central covered areas, beneath which are several buildings. Burning braziers at each corner provide some light, but fortunately for me there were plenty of shadows. That's because there were a pair of guards at each of the pools. I thought for a while, and finally decided to charm one of the guards. But first I had to deal with his buddy. So I slept both guards at the middle left pool, and dragged one of them to the cover of the closest building. I woke him up, and just as he awoke, I cast a charm person spell on him. His name was Barney, and with a little convincing, I got him to agree to try and get us the holy water. I stupidly forgot to tell him about to look for Danell, but oh well. I agreed to meet him the next night, and sent him back to guard duty. His partner Fred, it seems had mysteriously fallen asleep.
I made it back to the group without incident, and we went back the next night to meet Barney. Just after making it across the rope to the far side, however, we met someone unexpected. Another thief, named Milque, shows up with our rope, which I'd left on the roof. We talked, and for the sake of a cure he agreed to help us. We leave the group at the corner of the park with orders to make a disturbance if they hear something that makes it sound necessary. I meet Barney, but he wasn't able to get the water. It seems if it's there, they've got it in a locked room. And only the head cleric has the keys. He does draw us a map though. I cast change self on myself to look like a guard, and head in. One of the sleeping guards hears me and starts to wake, but I just wave and duck my head and he goes back to sleep. There are three locks on the door, one high, one middle, and one low. Miraculously, I manage to pick all three! I quietly open the door, and suddenly there is an enormous crash! Somehow, there's a pile of tin cans on the far side of the door! I figure this means there's another exit. Unfortunately, there's another possible solution to the mystery, as I soon find out. The door closes, and locks behind me. Great. I light a torch and start to poke around, as long as I'm locked in. Shit. There's three chests in here. And two guards sitting there with nocked arrows. Thunk.
Suddenly, a little voice in my head says "You're an elf. Or at least half. They're human. Douse the torch!" I decide the little voice has a good idea, and darkness falls. I can see them, but they can't see me. That almost makes up for the fact that I have no spells and no armor.
Outside, I can hear guards waking up. And I hear yells as arrows whistle into the temple. Moments later, it sounds like a full scale war is going on outside. Me, I've got a small scale war inside. By myself. In the dark. I find out later that there were 20 guards outside, 5 red robed priests, plus the head guy. At first though, only the guards are involved. Quicksilver is his usual whirlwind of flashing steel, carving down the opposition. Brother Singer however, gets too far out front and gets mowed down himself. Then a cowardly guard hacked his body after he fell, just to make sure. I think the family is cursed, and should stick to being tailors. Chicot, too, is fighting strongly, armed with a weapon in each hand.
As the priests start to appear, Glug starts using silence to great effect. The priests blow many of their best spells before they realize that they're in a silenced area. He also causes one of them to become totally drunk, which makes him ineffective at best. Meanwhile, I'm fighting just as ineffectively inside. Sigh. I really wish I could use a sword better. Or that I'd saved a sleep spell to finish these two off with. I should have been smarter about setting up the meeting with Barney so I didn't have to blow a spell there.
The battle outside rages on, both Quicksilver and Chicot fall and are revived by Glug, and Milque sneaks around and backstabs the big guy. Finally the big guy drops flash powder and blinds almost everyone. He then runs to the locked door to the room I'm in and opens it. I hide. He comes in and tells the two guards in the room to guard him. He doesn't hear Milque sneak in behind him. Milque tosses a oil bomb into the room without looking. Fortunately for me, I'm off to the side. The burning oil traps the bad guys in an alcove, but I decide to stay hidden. Another guard comes in, and Milque gets heard and slips out the door. The guard tells the boss that a guy just left, and they all thing it was me and file on out.
I bravely stay behind, to see what I can find in the chests. Heck, I can't fight, and it sounds like things were going okay out there, or the big guy wouldn't have run, right? I pick the first two, which are filled with lots of lovely gold and silver, gems, and jewelry. Later. No Silk. Not now. Later. Water first. Money when you know you'll be sane enough to spend it. The third I couldn't pick, so I had to break it open. At last! Holy water, a couple potions, and a few other toys like a ring and a wand. Unfortunately, only one potion survived my breaking in. Fortunately, more than 18 vials of holy water did.
Outside, however, all the good guys finally fell for the last time. Glug was out of healing spells, and despite Quicksilver and Chicot's heroic efforts, there were just too many. Most of the bad guys fell too, but a couple were left. Milque however, was still on his feet, and made good use of his bow from the shadows. His arrows dropped the big guy as they closed in to loot the bodies. Then he hits a few others and the rest broke and fled. In the end, two red robed priests survived (one drunk), and a couple guards. The rest will trouble no one again. I spend a round working on the door, and figure a way to open it. I opened the door a crack and peer out. Damn! There's the big guy, Chanticleer, pointing his arms at me. I ducked back around the door. Nothing. Silence. I looked again. He hasn't moved. Must be held. So I snuck out and saw carnage everywhere. Bodies of dead guards and priests lay about. Milque was over by where our party lay, every one of them fallen. He was searching Chicot's pack when I got there, "looking for a healing potion or something." Right. Fortunately, I happened to have one.
We dragged the bodies back to locked room, save for Brother, who was hacked to pieces. I dripped the potion down Glug's throat, but while he looked a lot better he didn't wake up. Damn. Milque and I discussed what to do, and decided to sneak back after more potions. We'd have to leave everyone else behind, but we were kind of stuck with that. We put them in hammocks off the floor to keep any rats away from them, but we just hoped they'd be okay in a locked room. We sorted out some of the good stuff from the treasure, gathered all the holy water together, and headed off. Fortunately, we didn't have any serious encounters we couldn't just hide from, save for a annoying dog that Milque just killed. Nasty, but we couldn't have it following and barking at us all the way back.
We made it back to north section, and managed to trade the holy water for a healing potion. Then we had to sneak all the way back. Damn, Milque is good at that. I'll have to get him to teach me some stuff. When we got back to the temple, the door next to the locked one was open. Shit. Somebody has been in there. I sneaked up and peered in, and did see anyone. So Milque came up and we started searching the room. Suddenly he was pulled into a large bin, and a guard jumped out of the one next to it. Two of them left. I charged in and started fighting the other one, while Milque tried to break free of the one who had him in a headlock. I got in a couple good hits, but then just as Milque broke free I was dropped by a lucky hit. Naturally, I heard the rest of this second hand, but Milque killed the one in the bin, and the one I had injured fled.
Milque then dragged me to the locked room, and gave the potion of healing to Glug. It woke Glug at last, who immediately went back to sleep. Of course he had to play a few jokes first. He'd talked about dressing the other party members in the robes we'd found in the temple, and sure enough he did. He dressed Glug in Aquarius robes, and tried to convince him that Aquarius had healed him, not a potion. I don't think Glug bought it, he just said that Fortuna must have sent Aquarius to help, and went to sleep. All the rest of us were dressed funny as well. I was in a starry robe with a pointy hat, and Chicot was dressed in a funny red suit with fur trim and black boots. Strange sense of humor that guy. Quicksilver, was in a circle of incense, but seem to still be in his armor. While we were all sleeping, Milque explored the rest of the temple. He found a room of prisoners, and freed them. They were in pretty bad shape, but he did the best he could to feed them (our food and drink). Danell, was among the survivors, which was a nice bonus. He set up the other prisoners in the storeroom next door, and brought Danell in with us.
Then, however, he did something a little stupid. He decided to burn the dead. With an entire barrel of oil. In broad daylight. A pillar of smoke by day, and a pillar of fire by night. A beacon to mobs and bandits in the wilderness of the city. Great. Naturally, a lunatic mob attacked. Milque was hard pressed to defend the freed prisoners, but this time he did. A few well placed arrows dropped a half dozen or so of the mob who got to close to the door. Then however, a band of thieves appeared, and that was more than he could handle. He pegged a few of them, and then ended up locking himself in with us. He and Danell, who was awake, heard the prisoners yelling, but their wasn't much to be done. If they'd gone out, they'd have been killed. Danell wasn't pleased, but was kind of stuck.
A few rounds of healing later, and we're all up and feeling better. Meanwhile, there's several chests of loot, but we still need to find the papyrus. We've found:
A chest with about 3000GP worth of mixed gold and silver. A chest with a few silver scroll tubes (one with a cleric scroll of Cure Light Wounds, Cure Disease, and Hold Person). A chest with 3 vials of holy water (left, we took 20 to Zeker). 3 sacks of looted "loot", Silverware, Candleabras, Plates, Jewelry, etc. worth about 2000GP.
Now we just have to get the stuff out.
On to Journal Ten