ONE HUNDRED NINETY SEVEN
(I/C)
Struggling to keep from vomiting, Wyn bowed low to the darkened chamber, saying, “Tank ye kindly fer ye... *gag cough swallow cough* ...Tank ye kindly fer ye time Masta Jailer."
Meanwhile also bowing, Abraxas backed up motioned the rest of the group to move, "Señor Yailer, it has been an honor to meet you. We must be heading back.”
“Good idea,” the voice replied, accompanied by another menacing growl. “It’sss ok, we’ll sssee them tomorrow.”
“Thank you por tu... como dices... Hospitality, ah yes. Adios, Señor. We will see you mañana."
Brendon maneuvered his way to the front as Wyn raced up to join him. “Let’s take the Jailers advice and leave. We should rest at the barracks again.” The elf glanced at him regarding the Barracks but the Scout winked in return and mimed listening with his ear. Nodding, the two of them picked up the pace, turning left at the “T” and heading back to the formal area of the castle.
Nervous, Lannis agreed, "Yes, let's, I'd rather not tarry here any longer."
Once the group had put some distance behind them passing by the Beekeeper’s Room and then the turn South, Kovid let out a tight breath and smiled through the nausea, “Nice, work Abraxas. Nasty Trog bastard let us leave, but he seems like a serious and untrustworthy opponent. Let's get our trade plan set and prepare for a possible fight. He might try to trick us, trap us, or try to play us against the orcs."
“If the Jailer enjoys holding prisoners then maybe we can offer him an orc for his menagerie,” Brendon scoffed.
"Ugh,” Wyn groaned, rubbing his nose and screwing up his face. “I really wish we had time ta go to de baths after dat encounter... I'd rather suffocate in de sulfur cave den deal with dat smell again. It be like a dozen catfish left out ta rot fer a week under de summer sun."
Trudging up the stairs the group passed the Spy’s room and then the on to the second flight. "That Yailer guy doesn't seem soooo bad,” Abraxas noted. “I mean he's definitely got a creep factor to him, but doesn’t seem to like the Orcges any more than Señor Wyncent.”
“I dunt like zem at all, Monsieur,” Wyn said.
“Si! And I've definitely smell'ed worse down at the docks. If he has an agenda…”
“He does,” Lannis interjected.
The Fighter continued, “Or wants to play us against the Orclads…”
“He does,” Lannis repeated, getting a nod from Lyra.
Abraxas pressed on, “I dont see a problem. We already are against the Orkluns. If we can aid him, and he doesn't betray us, it's a Wyn-Wyn situation in my book. If we can get that Flail, it'd be a Wyn-Wyn-Wyn."
The Cleric pouted, “Do we really need the flail? This almost seems more trouble than it’s worth. I don’t trust that thing.”
“None of us do,” Lannis said. At the top of the steps he cut his eyebrow and getting a few drops of blood, left a slight trail away from the direction they were going. “Look, Abraxas, far be it for me to be a pessimist but I don't like this Troglodyte thing. Before you say I said that about the Butcher and Jowass, yes, but I admitted I was wrong after we talked to them. Well, we've talked to the Jailer, and I'm even more worried about him now. It's like the parable of the scorpion and the toad, yeah?”
As they made their way west and past the Scriptorium, Brendon shrugged and answered, “Good idea or not Lannis, we said we’d see him later. If we don’t he might see us as untrustworthy. I suggest we keep our word with him. Right now he’s talking to us.”
“Oh I’m not saying DON’T meet him,” the Magic User gestured, “but be careful and for the love of the gods do not trust him. He has his own motives that almost certainly have nothing to do with amicable trade with us."
We arrived back at the Butcher’s area and once inside, closed and locked the door back to the main hall. We stripped off our armor while Kovid and Brendon went to gather up some meat for tonight’s meal. Abraxas lit the oven and Lyra made sure the brazier was active, warming the room. As the food was cooking we stretched it out with our own standard trail rations and washed it down with our waterskins.
Conversation was more muted tonight as we ate (everyone knock off half a day of standard rations and 1 day of water – there are now NO MORE standard rations on anyone’s sheets – just Iron) and as Kovid’s oil ran dry, Lannis took out a few slowburn candles and lit one. As everyone was finishing up, Wyn took stock of the party’s condition and suggested, "It looks to moi dat Monsieurs Dwarf en Salazar, en Priestess Adder should get de de bandages tonight. “While du Lac en moi be injured a bit, de odders cen get more benefit den us."
“Lady Lyra,” Kovid asked, “Would you mind? It will feel good to rest up and be back in top fighting condition.”
“No problem,” she replied, taking the clean and refreshed Sclepian Bandages out of her pack. She wrapped the first one around the dwarf’s worst wounds, pressing them tight and then tying them in place. “That should work. Abraxas, you’re up.”
“Muchos Gracias, Senora,” he said, pulling his shift high across his shoulders and letting the cleric minister to his wounds. She muttered small prayers to Sclepian and Aine as she worked while Abraxas was rocking his head back and forth, singing softly, “the sun, will come out manana.”
Clapping him on the shoulder, “Ok tough guy, you’re finished. Brendon? You up?”
Looking at his own wounds, Brendon shook his head and pointed at her. “Take care of yourself, milady. I appreciate it lass but if you go down, we all die.”
Smiling in thanks, Lyra bound up the worst of her wounds with the last bandage, wrapping up her spell and then smiling. “Ok,” she said, “That’s all done. So Abraxas, Kovid, and I need a full night’s rest. And don’t I usually watch with Lannis?”
“You are so lucky,” he said to which she stuck her tongue out. “Seriously though, yeah. And for spells you, Wyn, and I need a full night’s rest.” He glanced at Brendon, “And Stab-It-Man over there looks like he can use a night’s rest.”
“So we split up the middle watch then?” Brendon asked. “I’ll take the first half of it and Wyn take the back half of it. It means we rest longer but if we are going to go towards the Jailer and his bullshit tomorrow, I’d like to have as many arrows in our quiver as we can get.”
“It means a longer time resting,” Lannis shrugged, “We talked about this before.”
“We can risk it one night. I mean both doors out of here lock,” Lyra pointed. “That has to count for something.”
Abraxas nodded. “Senor Kodak and I will watch first and then that should be good.” He had taken his cloak off earlier and laid it on the Butcher’s bed. While looking at the garment we walked back to the tapestry showing Rowena and flicked the bottom…and the bed rippled pillows fluffed up, and the cloak seemed to shake a bit as well. He picked it up and inspected it with a smile. “Not laundry clean, but all the surface dirt is gone.”
“I am going to have that in my house as well,” Lannis noted with a smile. “Keep my golem free from the drudgery of laundry activity and more at my beck and call.”
“You’re just gross, you know that?” Lyra sneered.
“It beats making some unwilling beefcake half blind and stabbed with Eros’ assarrows when he glances your way, Princess.”
“Children, enough,” Kovid pointed at the bed. “Rest. You can be assholes in the morning.”
“Si! No night assholes, only day assholes. Siesta time.”
The group got comfortable and one by one, fell asleep. Kovid and Abraxas kept the first watch (WMC: 5, 5) but after a number of hours of hearing the Castle groan and settle, there was nothing to concern them. After replacing the burned out Slowburn candle, they awoke Brendon next, the Scout rubbing his face and shaking a bit to wake up. He too kept watch, walking quietly about and listening at the doors (WMC: 2, 6) but he too was satisfied all was fine.
After replacing the next Slowburn candle, at the end of his time he awoke Wyn who was well rested after his 8 hours, the elf taking over. Wyn was keeping a ear and eye out but took the time to scribe the Detect Invisible spell into his spellbook and then some time familiarizing himself with some study (WMC: 4, 5).
Finally he awoke Lannis and Lyra who were also very well rested, and another Slowburn Candle was set up. The three friends were studying and praying in order to keep the time down later when (WMC: 1, 3) somewhere in the distance (<Hear Noise, Pink 2), they hear something.
“What is that?” Lannis wondered, ear to the door and concentrating. (1d6: 5. # Appear: 2d4: 4+4 = 8, Distance: 2d6x10: 6+5x10 = 110’+. Coming closer or going away? 1-3 closer, 4-6 away: 5 – away!) Whatever it was there were a number of them and they were making no effort to be quiet.
“Don’t know,” Wyn muttered. “But dey aint close to us, dat for sure.” We heard the sound of things being moved, heavy, and clattering noises as well as banging and smashing. It was very distant and muted and lasted maybe 5 to 10 minutes before it ended and then it was silent again. They waited some time but it never came back and eventually they relaxed, the rest of the watch passing without issue.
Finally Abraxas, Kovid, and Brendon woke up and the group was in good spirits and broke their fast feeling great about today (Wyn: heal 2 @ 9/9. Lyra: heal 6 @ 22/22. Wyn: heal 2 @ 14/15. Abraxas: heal 6 @ 25/29. Brendon: heal 2 @ 10/11. Kovid: heal 10 @ 25/27).
Kovid refilled his lantern (reduce flasks to 3) and lit it with the last of the slowburn candle (Lannis down to 10 slowburn candles). Lyra unwrapped the bandages, now dirty and ready for another washing. “If we could hit up the sulfur pool first thing in the morning that would be great,” she asked.
“Good idea,” Brendon nodded. “Let’s figure out what our plan is this morning before our appointment with the Jailer.”
Time now is Day 6, 9:35 AM
(OOC)
Ok! What the deal, where we going, and in what order? Lannis and Lyra you both have your manacrystals on you, so keep that in mind as the day goes on.
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