Present:
- Cody Dieback. Human Male Wizard from Highport – Andrew
- Jack "Blocker" Jones. Human Male Temple Fighter of Aquamarina from Porn City – Jamie
- Tom Eade. Human Male Fighter from Porn City – Jeff
- Grim Hand. Human Male Rogue from Porn City – Jason
- Esmeralda "Ezme" Abernathy. Human Female Temple Fighter of Soixante Neuf from Scabport – Shane
- MARMALADING Ardern. Human Female Priestess of Mr Quail from Porn City – Kevin
- Rock Hammer. Human Male Barbarian from Central Plains – Steven
- Willow Woods. Half-elf Male Caribou Gorn Priest from Porn City - Chris
- Kippy Hunt. Human Male Barbarian of the Central Plains – Ian
- Munch Ease. Human Male Thief from Porn City – Darryl
by Darryl
Well, the hands of time have ticked forward yet another 7 days, and the fleet feet of fear have run the band out of town into a burnt out barn, where their beating hearts shudder and gasp at the close shave the group has just had.
"Well that went well." said someone in the group. Not Munch of course as he staggered and fell to the floor. His wounds were mended but a deep major one still lay below the surface.
Nor could it have been Esme, Kippy or Cody, all holding their stomachs and dry retching despite the Slow Poisons that had been cast on them. No, we will have to leave the culprit unknown but this is of no matter, the group just from the look in their eyes seemed to all agree, things had not gone to plan, it couldn't have there hadn't been one.
Willow did what he could regarding Slow Poisons and so did others, but they all knew they were very much in a temporary state, Neutralize Poisons were going to be needed in the next 8 to 12 hours and Munch could barely walk. Willow suddenly felt faint and he along with some others fell under the spell of the marmalade curse. [Chris left early.]
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| Natalia |
Along the way Tom and Kippy fill out more detail, and Natalia reciprocates and tells them of some rumours that say that Otto is well connected and quite senior within a specific group of the thieves guild in Porn City. Tom presses her for more information but after some time he realizes that Natalia does not seem to know anything more.
On getting back to the rest of the party, Natalia looks things over and says that this could be quite a job and will take some time. She settles down and begins her ministrations. Three days later and with the group significantly lighter due to the gold that it has cost, the group is back on their feet. Munch's major wound is healed and all traces of poison have been removed from the very souls of Esme, Kippy and Cody.
"Well, what now you laggards. Should we go teach Otto a lesson, beat him up, get him to cough up who his employer was on that job we is investigating, and then grind him into a pool of rancid mincemeat?"
"No"
"Well, how abouts we sneak in at night, beat Otto up, get him to tells us who's his boss, and then chop him into bite-sized pieces of stir-fried crispy pork?"
"No"
"Well, how's about we set fire to the brothel, catch Otto as he runs out, beats him up..."
"No"
"Well, we should all just bugger off then, no plan from all youse scaredy cats."
Silence and confusion surround the group, every plan put forward seemed to lead to death. Otto looks way too strong and no matter how much each person beats themselves on the head, no plan seemed to make any sense.
"How about plan B?"
"What does that mean?"
"We don't attack we watch and gavva intellygence."
Silence reigned, and reigned some more. Grinding could be heard coming from between ears.
"How about we find a place to hide and watch Otto and his boys for awhile?"
"Yeah, then we may knows what we's up agin."
So, slowly and with much hesitation the party put a plan, a plan of the dreaded 'B' type together.
Grim shuffled off into the shadows and some time later stepped back towards the group. But was it him really? Standing in front of the group was someone quite different, a dowdy looking middle-aged man, slightly scruffy but somehow looking like a business clerk.
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| Grim as merchant "Jack" |
Grim sauntered off with the party now fit and healthy and hoping that success would come their way. Grim walked around the small centre of the town, avoiding the Merchants' Guild who's sign hung outside a small office. Instead, he wandered over to a small area in one corner of the town where banging and other noises of commercial activity could be heard. Warehouses of various sizes were here and Grim found himself in front of an old man in a seedy-looking office.
"Good morrow to you kind sir. My name is Jack, and I am in the employ of James Jones, a merchant based in Porn city, and he has tasked me with taking possession, via lease, of a warehouse of good quality with respects to his business," extolled Grim/Jack.
"Yeah well them warehouses are very rare, very rare indeed in these here parts, but as a favour to you, and at great inconvenience to me self, I may be able to find you a small area for yer goods. Mind you the price is not negotiable," the old man replied.
"Well, let us set forth and peruse the estate of which you speak, my master is in great urgency for this transaction to be completed," said Grim/Jack.
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| Skanky warehouse (maybe a "werehouse") |
"Space is mighty hard to find around here," the old man grinned to Grim.
"Yes well, though smaller than my master may have requested, I will take you on your word and honesty, kind sir, and know that the price for a two week initial lease will be fairly derived, so enlighten me of the consideration required, shake, and our dealings will be satisfactorily arranged," replied Grim.
Five minutes later Grim smiled to himself, knowing he had begun the first steps of plan 'B', whilst an old man shuffled away chortling to himself and jingling like 30 pieces of gold.
Grim returned to the party late in the afternoon with pride and success highlighted in his beaming smile.
"Success friends, we have a small warehouse a couple of hundred metres away from the brothel, easy ingress and if required a simple escape route, simply kick a couple of boards out and we can scurry out our new back door if needed," Grim informed the party.
Slowly optimism began to seep back into the bones of the party, who sat around and worked out how to get everybody safely into their home for the next few days.
In the early hours of darkness of the next day, Munch and Grim sneaked into town whilst the rest of the party waited just out of town. After checking things out and ensuring that the town was quiet, Munch returned and in small groups led the party to the warehouse. The next day broke with all safely stowed and secured.
And so began a number of days with a very similar pattern. During the day, Kippy and Cody sneaked carefully around the town, predominantly keeping eyes upon Otto's grotto of pleasure. Whenever he was spotted coming out the front door, he was followed. He, along with one of his bully boys would visit a number of establishments around the town. After entering, he would be inside for a short period and then move on to another establishment. From time to time, he would be seen adding coins to a pouch he had attached to his waist. The back door of the brothel too had activity with the barmaid and the slim woman remembered from the first night of contact, could be seen coming and going appearing to be doing standard domestic activities.
On one occasion, Cody followed the slim woman who went into a stone domestic dwelling about a hundred metres away. The small amount of drifting smoke from the chimney increased but she never returned to the brothel. At night Munch also maintained surveillance on the brothel and stone dwelling. In the stone house a light would appear regularly after midnight, remain on for an hour or two and then be dowsed, to leave Munch cold and bored as little else would happen through the night.
Eventually the party, after hearing reports on shift change over from day to night, were able to put together something a little intriguing. The slim woman would be seen working away in the kitchen of the brothel but Munch did not see her leave the stone house in the morning. The fire in the stone house would be smoking away merrily, she did not leave, and yet somehow she was in the brothel. Sounds once again began emanating from between the ears of some of the party.
"I reckons there's some sort of tunnel."
"Yeah, me too"
"How's we gunna found find out?"
"Don't worry I can do that." says Kippy, "Just gimme a Invisible spell and I will checks out the inside of the brothel."
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| Kippy, invisible |
So Kippy tries again and this time sneaks into the bully boy waiting room and Otto arrives, presses a secret panel and he enters another room. Kippy decides to not follow him. Still things don't seem quite right so the group decides on a new tactic, searching the stone house of the slim woman.
Cody, using his Gaseous Form spell, enters the house during the day, when the party is pretty sure no one is at home. The house is very feminine and there is a lounge, bedroom, office and kitchen. In the kitchen a basement containing basic food and utensils and a tunnel pointing towards the brothel. With time running out, Cody leaves, returns to the party and fills everyone in.
That night Munch sneaks close up to the house once the light is turned on inside and looks through the windows. He sees the slim woman sitting by the fire in the lounge and after some time a naked Otto enters, after dousing the light, the two of them retire to the bedroom
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| Cody - in Gaseous Form. Propane styling |
The party wants to find out more about this house and so the next day Cody once again uses Gaseous Form to reenter the house.
Down into the basement he flows and finds a door a little way down the tunnel. He willows his way under the door, sees a large rusty chain attached to the wall some sort of feeding trough, with old rotten food against the wall. A tunnel continues straight ahead. He decides he knows enough for now and so he returns up stairs and goes into the office, in whispery form, enters each drawer of the desk found within and finds a large tome in the top drawer. He turns back into human form. The study/office is that of a woman's, with a dust-free tidy room with small ornaments and prints on the walls. He Detects Traps and the door and drawers are both trapped. Deciding once again that this information should be given to the group he turns back into Gaseous Form to get out of the house, and then sneakily finds his way to the party's warehouse where he tells all.
But the hands of time have once again moved forward, the tongues of the party fall silent and the plan 'B' of destiny will need to remain unconcluded for yet another seven days.
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