Heroica RPG - Quest #56: The Stealer of Senses

[Kintobor]

Karie passes her last potion to the now conscious Em.

"You need this more than I do." She claims.

She felt the extra weight of eight gold pieces in her pocket. She felt a sense of triumph over her. Perhaps they would get out of this dingy place.

"Lab rat, lab rat, lab rat..."

She walks over to the guards, to see if any could potentially be interrogated.

Edited February 17, 2013 by Kintobor

[joeshmoe554]

Jeaux distributed the well fought rewards between his party members. He gave everyone in the party 20 gold pieces. He then handed the valuable grating stone and one remedy to Em, because the ranger had bravely sacrificed himself during the battle instead of benefiting from the valuable experience it provided. To Sir Brickington, he passed the smoke bomb,and the glowing phoenix essence. If another party member were to fall, it was unlikely to be the sturdy tank, and it would benefit the party greatly if he could revive the one who had suffered a knock out blow. He gave the other 2 remedies to Arnulf and Karie, so a greater number of party members would be able to retrieve their senses if the apprentice managed to steal them again.

With only the grand potion remaining, Jeaux offered it in trade with Sir Brickington for a more traditional potion from his inventory. For the agile ranger, it made little difference, but the more powerful mixture may be more effective for the knight.

[Brickington]

"I'll trade the normal potion for the grand potion, thanks for being generous." Sir Brickington said with a smile. Sir Brickington trades his potion for the grand potion with Jeaux.

[Emjajoas]

Em holds up his hand, refusing to take the potion from Karie. "Keep it; I have two," he coughs, before removing one from his bag and chugging it back. "Where to from here?"

[Kintobor]

"Eh, suit yourself." Karie responds.

She shoves it back into the pouch on her belt.

While kicking the guards to see if any are conscious, she motions for Em to come over to her.

"You changed the subject back there when I asked you where you were from. Feeling more open to discussion, or do I have to pester you later?" She says, loud enough so only the two of them could hear.

Edited February 17, 2013 by Kintobor

[Emjajoas]

"I'd rather get out of this prison before we chat," Em replies, just as quiet. He begins retrieving his arrows, checking them to make sure they're intact.

Em looks around for anything interesting.

[Kintobor]

"This may sound awkward coming from a rogue, putting I'm keeping to your word. You wanna talk about your suspicious background, you tell it to me in the noisy bar, back at the Hall. Kay!" Karie smiles, her pearly whites beaming. She goes back to examining the unconscious town guards, seeing if any had any sense left in them.

Edited February 18, 2013 by Kintobor

[Shoker86]

OOC: I should be lvl 3 also

"Thank you boss" Arnulf gazed upon battlefield "We should take something from theese guard and take it to the Town Watch, so they can have proper honour service. Since we don't have shovel" Then Arnulf turned to Em and offered him 10 gold for gratitude as promised

[Endgame]

The Party:

Jeaux Elmfyre (joeshmoe554) *Party Leader!*

Age: Unknown, Male Automaton Ranger

Level 3

Power: 6

Health: 8/8

Gold: 35

Equipment: Sagitta (WP: 3, longbow)

Inventory: Smoke Bomb, Bedroll, Remedy, Potion

Sir Brickington (Brickington)

19 year old human male knight

Level 3

Power: 6 (Level 3 + WP: 3)

Defense: 2 (SP: 2)

Health: 8/12

Gold: 40

Equipment: Great Sword (WP: 3) and Triangle Shield (SP: 2)

Inventory: Potion, Bedroll, Venom, Smoke Bomb, Phoenix Essence, Grand Potion,

Name: Unknown. Most call him "Em," though his real name remains largely mysterious. (I just can't think of a good name, okay?)

Age: Unknown. Presumably mid twenties.

Gender: Male.

Race: Human.

Class: Ranger.

Level 2

Power: 5

Health: 7/7

Gold: 55

Equipment: Bow(WP:3)

Inventory: Smoke bomb, Potion x2, Grating Stone, Remedy

Name: Arnulf Bishop (Shoker86)

30 yrs old male Human Rogue

Level: 3

Power:6 (3+3)

Health: 9/9

Ether: 0

Gold: 35

Equipment: Dagger(WP:3)

Inventory: Potion, Venom, Bedroll, Remedy

Karie Alderflask (Played by Kintober)

22 year old Human Rogue, lvl 3

Power: 6

Health: 9/9

Gold: 48

Equipment: Heirloom Dagger (WP:3)

Inventory: Venom (1), Bedroll (1), Potion, Remedy

Em looks around the room to find anything interesting, but the room they were fighting in proved to be a simple one. 4 walls, ceiling and a floor, one way forward and one way back. The only interesting thing in the chamber was the 4 unconscious guards, slumped around the room. Karie delivers a hard kick to the shin of "Hard Head", and the Town Watch captain stirs awake with a yelp of pain. He seems confused, as if unsure of his surroundings or why he was even here.

"Gah, blasted furnaces of hell, wha- what... what happened?"

As a result of their captain's shout, the other guardsmen begin to stir awake...

Edited February 18, 2013 by Endgame

[Shoker86]

"Karie, it seems their senses are back" Arnulf found relief that theese guards weren't dead. " You speak with them, if we talk at the same time, we can confuse poor devils"

[Kintobor]

It's seems there was a bit of pressure on Karie to get the info out of these guards they had just beaten up.

"Uh.... Hi."

Karie turns to the party for a second. "Don't mention we beat them up!" She states with a sense of urgency, she then turns back to the captain who is now rubbing his rather sore ankle.

"Okay, um, we five are from Heroica, and we were sent here to stop a Stealer of Senses. Perhaps with your help, we could piece some things together?"

Karie thinks for a second, preparing a few questions, then asks them to the Town Watch guards:

"Okay, number one, do you have any idea where we are, in this slightest? Number two, why are you guys down here? Was there an individual by the name Allen Lias involved perhaps? Three, do you have any recollection of what happened while you were dazed? You guys seemed to have been hypnotized or something."

[Brickington]

"Perhaps I should use diplomacy, my lady?" Sir Brickington looked at the guards. Using diplomacy: "Why are you here? Who do you work for? What do you know of the Stealer of Senses?"

[Emjajoas]

Em pockets the ten gold, nodding to Arnulf in thanks and flicking his hand in mock salute. He then watches and waits for the guard's reply.

[Shoker86]

Arnulf felt that he had some issues to solve with party regarding using venom. "I think harder battles are coming, we shouldn't rush blind and unprepared next time" Arnulf turned to Karie "If you could apply venom before battle, it would be helpfull, poisoned enemies die faster" Arnulf didn't delt with poison for long time, in fact despite it's usfullness he always considered should he use it. It was known in his homeland that only cowards used poison, and although he didn't agree completly, Arnulf always thought before using it.

"Karie have you ever thought about future carear path, i think it's always good to have some goals, me i want to be assassin"

Edited February 18, 2013 by Shoker86

[Kintobor]

Karie was a little overwhelmed by such a big, menacing question. "What do you see in your future, Karie?" Sheesh, it sounded like her father.

"The only certainty for all of us is a funeral." Karie joked. "Me, I can't really say I know where I'm going to be in my future. It's always been what happens right there and then that I worry about. I found that for me, goals are always out of reach, even just slightly. Something, or someone comes along, and you have to act there and then. As for this venom," she states, patting her pouch, "I'm saving it for someone special." She had a feeling some members of the party would disagree with her decision to hold onto it, but her mind was set on it.

Lab rat, lab rat, lab rat...

"Who knows where I'm going. One thing I do know is that we need to get out of here. Wherever here is."

[Endgame]

The four guardsmen, all of them now conscious, somewhat cock their head in confusion at the load of questions Karie had just blasted at them. They gave the entire party quizzical looks, still not fully reacquainted with their senses.

"Hey, boss, didn't this chick just fight us...?"

"...And why do I have an arrow stuck in my beard?"

"Ugh, my head is throbbing..."

"Same here, Jacob... my head is pounding like a drum...

And yes, Derrell, I'm fairly sure "this chick" just did try to rip me a new one. I also get the feeling we weren't acting of our own will... I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my addled brain's ability...

My name is Ian. The bearded man is Lucas, the gentleman with the axe is Jacob, and the rude man to my left is -"

"Hey!"

" - is Derrell.

Although I go by the term "captain", I'm just captain just of this crew of 4. The Captain of the Town Watch, Patricia, sent us over here to investigate some strange occurrences. Apparently, folks were seeing hooded men wandering about here, performing some sort of alchemy. Of course, neither is technically a crime, but odd people and stuff that can potentially explode tends to arouse the Watch's suspicion. We are currently in the Locunon - a tiny little overflow prison, built just in case we had no more cells to shove people in to. This building was never needed, and eventually just abandoned altogether. Biggest waste of our budget ever.

I've never crossed paths with this Stealer of Senses, or an Allen Lias. The only person we encountered when we got here was a man clad in green. He had a pretty menacing looking weapon. After he stabbed me with it, my memory went black... and here we are now."

The group of 4 pulls up their sleeves to reveal an unnerving sight: each one had two identical wounds plastered on their forearms.

Edited February 19, 2013 by Endgame

[Brickington]

Using Diplomacy Sir Brickington looks at the captain. "Apparently you had you senses stolen. Perhaps you could help us try to get this stealer of senses?"

[joeshmoe554]

Jeaux looked at the guardsmen. He was glad to see they were unhurt... mostly. His suspicions had been correct, and it appeared that being knocked out had somehow restored the memories that had been stolen. He asked the guard captain who seemed to be speaking for the group, "Do you remember the layout of this prison? It may help us find a way out or possibly help us locate the one who bought us here. Also, if you are feeling better, might you and your men be able to help us bring this criminal to justice?".

[Kintobor]

"Wait, there's more than one of these nut jobs!?" Karie had a nervous look on her face. More prong bladed, sense stealing jerks. Yipee.

"Look, I know you guys just got up to chatting, but we should be going. Let's get a map or whatever, find the apprentice and kick his teeth in, and get out of Dodge!" She notices Derrell's comment.

"Derrell, I know this may sound sudden, but this isn't meant to be. I can already tell what's going to happen, you're a Town Guard, and I'm a rogue, bent on the pickpocketing of others. And to be quite frank, I simply don't give a damn." Her voice goes slightly masculine for the last line, as she turns her head to one side, and mime walks out a door. She then looks at the rest of the party, who is giving her an odd look.

"What, "Gone with the Tide" was a really good play!"

[joeshmoe554]

"Wait, there's more than one of these nut jobs!?"

"Yes", Jeaux responded to Karie's query. "The man we met earlier claimed to only be an apprentice in this operation, it seems none have laid eyes his master as of yet."

[Endgame]

"To be honest, I'm not sure if I'm quite right in the head yet. Probably wouldn't be a good idea for us to be around whoever made us fight you."

Brickington's diplomacy seems to give Ian a bit of a nudge.

"However, doesn't mean we can't lend you a hand. Here, take these."

Ian motions to his crew to drop their weapons.

Longsword, WP: 4 - Suitable for knights and rogues.

Greatsword, WP: 4 -Suitable for knights and barbarains.

Dagger, WP: 4 - Suitable for mages and rogues.

Bow, WP: 4 - Ranged, suitable for Rangers.

[Shoker86]

"I'll take the longsword, it's more suitable for male hands my lady" Arnulf noded to Karie "But if you like i could take the dagger, and thak you for your weapons gentlmen, it wil be put to good use"

[Brickington]

"Looks like I am the only one who can take the Greatsword." Brickington nodded at the townwatch men. "Thank you very much."

[Kintobor]

"I'll take the longsword, it's more suitable for male hands my lady" Arnulf noded to Karie "But if you like i could take the dagger, and thak you for your weapons gentlmen, it wil be put to good use"

"No, no, you keep the longsword, I'm quite content with this tiny, little dagger." Karie responds. "Jerk." She mutters under her breath. She looked at the dagger that was handed to her. Nothing special, just an everyday dagger. However, it's edge was sharper than her own. "I don't think I'll let go of you just yet." Karie thought as she stuffed her Heirloom Dagger into her pouch, and replaced it with the recently given one.

"Yes", Jeaux responded to Karie's query. "The man we met earlier claimed to only be an apprentice in this operation, it seems none have laid eyes his master as of yet."

"The Watchmen claim that multiple hooded figures have been seen at a time. I wouldn't think a Master of a creepy cult would be out and about, where he could be killed by roaming adventurers. He'd be waiting in the shadows, and pulling the strings. Whether those individuals have had their senses stolen as well, we'll have to see. Or, we could avoid them all together and go home and not become the Apprentice's chew toys,"

Karie then turns her attention to the Town Watch.

"Yes boys, its been a hoot! But we really should go before we all get our sense's stolen!" She added extra force on the "sense's stolen" portion.

[Brickington]

Using Diplomacy, Sir Brickington looked the Captain, "Do you remember the way around this place? Perhaps you could help us? What about other supplies? Do you have any bedrolls or things of that matter?"

Edited February 19, 2013 by Brickington