Isle of Carandia (RPG)

[Mabbz]

Ben continued snoring, content in the knowledge that he'd be woken if needed. Whether by his new comrades or by an explosion, he did not know.

[Scout Sergeant Mkoll]

Hlaine looked round in amazement as his new-found colleagues slumped beside him. He had hoped things wouldn't get messy, or at least not so quickly. Ah well, so much for hope he sighed, and took aim.

[Narric]

As Nyx slumps to the ground, a myoclonic jerk snaps her back to focus. Nyx blinked awake and immediately took in the scene, two targets, at least one of them just enchanted her. She whipped her wand out of an inner pocket, the wood looked blackened as if it had been rescued from a fire and was warm to the touch. She couldn't speak Infernal beyond a few words and even then she didn't know what they meant, but one of the words was at her lips at that moment. The utterance broke her cover immediately, seeming unnaturally loud and somehow wrong, but matched with the practiced flourish of the wand it conjured a bolt of black, roiling energy which shot towards the nearest foe. To Nyx, the world stood still as an impotent puff of purple sparkly smoke erupted from the wand's tip.

The Cart Driver glimpsed at their associate in surprise that their normal tactic had not work, regaining composure and grabbing a small simply scepter from their belt, swinging forward with a glob of archanic acidic. As the Driver finished the swing of his spell, the glob popped like a bubble harmlessly. The other had readied their own focus, but met with similar failure.

Hlaine rounded the cover of barrels, notched an arrow against the drawstring, and loosed. The arrow whistled swiftly, missing all but the timber frame of the inn at the entrance to the alley.

Aela's eyes had barely closed before she had shaken off the pathetic enchantment. She cursed in elvish under her breath that the alcohol had had any affect on her. The window was already open, she grabbed the side of the frame and jumped down into the alley, gracefully unsheathing her rapier mid-fall. The horse was right in front of her as she hit the cobblestone, landing half-kneeling and sword to her side. She yelped as pain quickly shot up her leg she had landed flat-footed on, her free hand flinching briefly to hold her shin. She quickly composed herself and stood up weapon ready before her.

Obsidian had already had her weapon ready, but chose instead of violence to try and scare the goons into submission. She dwarvishly leaped forward into the alley from the in door, ending up to the side of the horse. In the heat of the moment, all she could think to try was to let out a chilling war cry. She had taken a mighty breathe beforehand and her voice carried force as it swept up the alley to the road. The goons scrambled for a moment, a glance passing between their hooded faces. It looked as if they were about to surrender.

They dismounted the cart, and ran the opposite direction from the group. Hlaine shoot with arrows and Nyx with magic. The Cart Driver is struck in the back by Nyx's first volley, crumpling to the floor, his associate unscathed.

Obsidian's mighty roar had caused a racket, rousing Ben from his slumber. He grabbed what he needed and had raced through the Inn, arriving to the alleyway door just as the goon left the alley. Aela and Obsidian had ran to catch up with the escaping goons, and were now level with the wounded one, Obsidian spotted a dagger in their hands, and swiftly kicked it away.

"You don't look like any deliverymen I've met" Obsidian growls to the goon on the ground.

The smell of death begins to fill the alley.

[Status]
Nyx: HP 10/10
Benjamin: HP 10/10
Aela: HP 9/10 (Don't jump out windows XD)
Obsidian: HP 14/14
Hlaine: HP 12/12
Goon 1: HP 1/8 knocked to the ground prone.
Goon 2: HP 8/8 escaped, still in the city.

[Cammerz]

Nyx knew she couldn't catch the fleeing goon and pragmatically wandered over to the one lying on his back in the courtyard. She sat cross-legged on his chest and placed her wand so the tip was directly under his chin and she smiled at him, then in a cheerful voice she said,

 "Hello there, we'd like to have a little chat. Sound good to you?"

[Mabbz]

Ben carefully moved to stand near the goon, ready to step in if he tried anything.

[Narric]

The goon groans with the noticeable weight of Nyx sitting upon him. His hood obscuring his face more as the night drew in on the city. Even so his pain riddled face still betrayed the malicious scowl he was giving the scraggly cloaked gnome. Obsidian walked up, axe in hand in case the escaped goon found reason to return.

The cloaked man had answers to questions, but how loose his lips were couldn't be measured at a glance.

The warm evening air of the ally, though still, was slowly being corrupted by the smell of necrotic flesh.

[Mabbz]

"What is that stink?" Ben wondered aloud, before moving to check the carts. "Hey, deliveryman, why the need to be sneaky about this? Believe it or not, we're reasonable people that just want an explanation."

[Cammerz]

Nyx put on her best 'reasonable person' smile and cocked her head to the side slightly, indicating that she was willing to listen to the scowly man's answer.

The tip of her wand never left it's station, just below his chin.

[Narric]

Ben worked from the rear of the cart, examining the casks. Each sloshed with the distinct sound of alcohol, but the smell was washing over everything at this point, and had gotten stronger as he had moved closer. The only other place to check was the riders' bench at the front. His eyes began to water, blurring his vision breifly as he came to the front of the cart. He wiped his eyes, and combined with the smell, the sight found before him was too much.
Ben's last meal made a gran spectacle across the flagstones on the alleyway, Ben staggering backwards to rest a hand on the wall.

It was the horse. Or at least what remained of it. Its flesh and meat, though originally covered in an auburn coat of fur before, was now blackened, putrid, and falling to pieces. Clumps of rotten flesh had sloughed off the side of the horse and lay beneath it. Much of its face had come away, revealing the equine skull. Its organs lay mixed with the vile mess on the ground, save for what had been caught by its rib cage.
It improbably still stood. Something was keeping it together and standing dead still as if trapped in a painting.

Nyx was doing her best to wordlessly persuade the goon into talking. Sadly it seemed to threat of magically face lift seemed to be doing. The Goon simply tried turning away, maybe a little embarrassed by the Gnomes' tough girl routine.

[Dice Rolls]
Ben Constitution check: 4
Nyx Intimidation/Persuasion: 3

[Mabbz]

Ben coughed and retched a bit more, trying to compose himself. Once his head cleared a bit, he decided that an undead horse probably wasn't a good thing to have nearby, even if it was currently docile. Forcing himself to look at the creature again, he raised a hand, preparing to cast Sacred Flame.

[Scout Sergeant Mkoll]

"Alright, enough games" Hlaine growled, grabbing his maces and approaching the delivery man. "Unlike my associates, I am not a reasonable person. So here's the deal. Tell us what we want to know or I start using various body parts to beat a tune out of you. Might break a few bones, but there's softer targets to aim for as well."

[Narric]

"To death you were sent, and forcefully claimed, I return you from whence you came" The syllables caught a little in his throat as Ben spoke, his hands pulling into a flat palmed prayer, to directing the divine energy of Karuma's rebalance towards the cadaverous equine. Bone and rotten flesh at once became engulfed by magical flame, scarcely touching the wood of the cart and surrounding buildings, but each shred of what the creature quickly turning to ash and was carried off by an unfelt wind. No more of the house feel to the ground, not even as the flames removed the legs from under it. The Acolyte of Karuma may have seen some semblance of the animals eyes from when it was alive had he not been holding his nose and turned away from the smell of burning rot.

The goon flinched as the Halfling made his threat. Had he not already been near death from the magical blast to his back, the threat of broken bones and injury may have worked. He felt confident, despite his position. Maybe that was what made his lips loose.
"Hah! You all know nothing of what my Master wishes to achieve." He snared, snapping his teeth at the wand pointed to his face. "Lakenvale is only a lesser part of what Master wishes to achieve!! He!.." The goon cut himself short, a flash of panic through his mind and he realised he had gotten carried away. These adventurers knew nothing, and would be no consequence. But He should not have jeopardised the Master so callously.

"I've heard sweeter melodies from canaries." Aela commented. "Shouldn't we tie him up and take him to the guards, or something?"

[Rolls]
Hlaine Intimidation: 4

[Narric]

The goon was less than helpful when the group began tying his hands. Obsidian drew the short straw of staying outside with the cart, checking the kegs and casks that had been brought, and generally keeping guard outside. The smell of rotten flesh had dispersed, with only a small pile of burnt debris left on the ground.

The remaining party kept the goon secure in the inn. Nothing of note occurred, as the goon was clearly outnumbered and outmatched. The warm night passed by slow and boringly.


Brindle awoke with first light, feeling refreshed from finally being able to sleep through without worry of his delivery. His family rooms were in a third level above the guest quarters, behind a locked door for privacy and security. The fact a couple the guest rooms of the previous day's adventurer's seemed to have been left open didn't even cross his mind, nor the strange smell that was filling the day. Down one final flight of stairs, and suddenly he was awake when he realised people were already in the bar.

"What the heck is going on here?" He demanded in his calmest tone available.

"Well somehow this guy is a small cog in some master plan" Hlaine casually replied. "Somehow that involves only sending you half a shipment of Ale and Mead?"

"Thats.... a strange turn of events...." Brindle stood dumbfounded. He jumped a little when he heard Findle sigh behind him.

"I guess I'll go get a guard or something?" She grumbled, walking past her father past the adventurers and goon, and out the door without a glance or pause.


The Guards came and took the goon away, the group giving what details they had learned from the man and Brindle.

"You have all showed you're at least able to get some things done, so I'l going to pay you all five gold up front" Brindle pulled out his pouch and handed each of the group their appropriate pay. "I'd still like you all to visit Jois at his Lakenvale Meadery. I fear he is some sort of trouble...."

"Don't worry, we'll help him" Aela reassured in her softess voice. She turned to the party. "Is there anything we need before we leave town?"

[Player Notes]
Each member of the party has gained 50exp, and +5gp.

[Cammerz]

Nyx's eyes bulged when she saw the gold, Actual gold! Five of them! The coins quickly disappeared into various pockets around her person and she shook her head in response to Aela's question.

Wiggly's eyes bulged when he saw the coin drop into the pocket beside him, but a quick sniff and a testing bite proved that it wasn't food and the mouse quickly ignored it and went back to sleep.

[Mabbz]

"I think I have everything I need for now," Ben said, with a thoughtful look on his face. "Although thinking about spell components just made me wonder; are there any special items needed for that sleep spell they used? Or the zombie horse, for that matter? Maybe we could find more information if they've had to make unusual purchases"