Laroque's Return

Miscellaneous

The Party take a contract from Captain Price that brings them into contact with Jacques Laroque once again.

The party started their day by receiving a mission from Captain Price. A client was looking to recover some goods stolen by their business partner.   Price told them that the item in question, a small ornate chest with an emerald on the front, was likely located inside a warehouse in the Dockway. He told them that they could get into the warehouse via a tunnel they could enter in a nearby building.   The party entered the tunnel and came across a trio of homeless men living in the tunnels beneath the city. Gregory convinced them that they would be given a gold piece each if they went outside the warehouse and created a distraction.   Almost an hour passed before the party heard the three men outside shouting and drawing a crow to see one of them “eat his own face”. Above they heard the guards moving to investigate and Badaar broke through the trapdoor and engulfed the three guards nearby in flames, setting the warehouse itself on fire.   The party fought the three guards, killing 2 and knocking the third unconscious. Graak – afraid of fire – tried to flee out the front door, but was met with another 6 guards. They surrounded him and attempted to cut him down, but he was able to hold them at bay until help arrived.   Eiyo leapt over the piled boxes between them and delivered a flying kick to one of the guards. Loodachris mounted the boxes and let loose with a magical acid splash that began to eat into the flesh of one guard.   Badaar attempted to charge through the boxes, but he just crashed into them, causing Loodachris to fall over.   Gregory found the box they were looking for, pulling it from the fire and climbed over the boxes/ He fired an acid bolt into the melee, hitting a guard.   Eiyo knocked a second guard out while the party dispatched the other guards. The first guard that had been knocked unconscious had been forgotten about and was consumed by the flames.   The party picked up the lone surviving guard and fled the warehouse, seeing the crowd of commoners around the homeless men watching as one seemingly ate his face.   Badaar gave the man who had pretended to eat his face an extra gold coin and Gregory tried to stiff the others out of their payments, but relented after Eiyo chastised him. The party then fled as the city guard arrived on the scene.   On their way back to price Gregory attempted to pry the emerald from the front of the box but it was enchanted and burst into flames. Once the flames died the box was blackened but otherwise intact.   The party returned to Price and received their payment. On their way out of the lodge they saw one of Price’s men handing the box to Timo Bryce, the Halfling assistant of Jacques Laroque, the man who had swindled them in Sandpoint.   Timo noticed the party and fled, and the group gave chase. They were unable to catch her, but were able to track her movements across the city to the Dockway where they found a boat they assumed belonged to Laroque.   Gregory boarded the vessel under the guise of a boat inspector and had the guards show him around. He eventually found Laroque who seemed surprised to see him in Langdale. Gregory convinced Laroque to give him the chest in exchange for not notifying the authorities that the ship needed to be seized.   While Gregory was below deck, Badaar and Graak snuck aboard and when Greg was coming up the stairs ahead of the board he motioned for them to jump overboard. He convinced the guards that they were drowning and needed assistance. The guards took off theor armour and weapons and jumped in to save them. As soon as the guards touched the water, Baadar and Graak climbed up the boat and the party escaped, taking the guards’ personal effects.   After leaving the Dockway Gregory emptied the bag of rings he had stolen from Bodwyn Reddy and got Loodachris to find the magical ring. Loodachris was able to determine which ring was magical but not what it did. He also opened the chest which contained a flash bomb that went off, but otherwise the chest was empty.   They took the rings back and he got a reward.   The party returned to the King’s House tavern for a drink. Graak and Gar Jordan shared a drink and Eiyo smoked 1/8th of her Flayleaf and suffered a bad trip in which the room began to melt, Gar Jordan became the sun, and her limbs became tentacles.   The party went their separate ways for the remainder of the day.   Eiyo & Graak   Following their run in with Laroque, Eiyo and Graak once more returned to Calistra’s Kiss, the gambling den and fighting pit in the Shadow District.   When they arrived, the establishment was full of people, far more full than it had been when they went there the day previous.   They arrived just at the end of a sight where a man dressed in a skull headdress knocked out a young man in a single blow.   The pair both wanted to fight this man, who had apparently been fighting solidly for almost 7 hours and was as of yet untouched.   They arm wrestled to decide who would face him. Eiyo stole victory in the final round of their 2/3 and descended into the pit to face the Shaman. Graak – frustrated he would have to fight a weakened foe after Eiyo was defeated ordered drinks and sat to watch the fight.   Eiyo sprang into action first, striking the Shaman in the Solar Plexus. Despite a hard hit, the Shaman stood unmoving and Eiyo realised he was no ordinary fighter. The Shaman cantered himself and green energy traced along his muscles before he started attacking, hitting much harder than the brawlers Eiyo and Graak had fought the previous night.   Several times the Shaman charged himself with a green energy and delivered devastation blows, wearing Eiyo down. She was able to return some blows, and delivered a kick to the temple which drove the Shaman to his knees, where he began channelling green energy into one fist, the earth of the fighting pit swirling around his fist.   This blow narrowly missed Eiyo who was then able to gain the upper hand over the clearly exhausted Shaman. Eiyo delivered the final blow with an uppercut that cracked his skull mask and knocked him out.   With the Shaman defeated it was Graak’s turn. During the fight between Eiyo and the Shaman, the empty cage that had stood next to the pit had been removed and the fighters could now hear the sounds of an animal from the back room.   The cage was wheeled out to reveal a hulking gorilla, 8 feet tall, thrashing around ready to be unleashed.   Eiyo bet 100 gold that Graak would emerge victorious and was give 5:1 odds.   Graak descended into the ring without weapons or armour and readied himself.   The gorilla broke from the cage and attacked. Graak was able to dodge many of its attacks, but those that connected gouged deep wounds into his flesh. Graak was significantly smaller than his foe so focused his attacks on the groin for maximum effect.   After a few minutes Graak was able to secure a mighty hit which forced the gorilla backwards. It roared in response and pounced on Graak, swinging its claws in a flurry of rage. Graak was able to dodge most of the blows, but had they all hit, he was sure he would have been torn apart.   Graak managed to get out of the gorilla’s grasp and with a one-two punch knocked the gorilla unconscious. As the crowd went wild and the announcer declared Graak the winner, he climbed on top of the unconscious beast and continued to beat it until he had killed it with his bare hands.   He staggered from the ring, covered in the gorilla’s blood, and was hoisted aloft by the crowd who carried him to the bar and poured ale into his mouth.   After the fight Eiyo and Graak sat with the Shaman and discussed their fights. Eiyo taught the Shaman some of what she knew about fighting with speed, and the Shaman showed her how to draw on the living energy around her to summon a mighty blow.   During the conversation a trio of halflings removed the head of the gorilla and later returned with its skull to present to Graak as a helmet. The crowd broke into cheers again declaring him Graak the Gorilla Slayer.   Before leaving the Kiss, the pair spoke to Nev, who told them a little bit about Goliath, the champion of the arena in the noble district. They learned that Goliath has no name, and is referred to by his race – one of the Goliath. They learned Nev has ways of getting into the noble district without a writ.   They also asked him about the mysterious monk who has been travelling the city challenging people to single combat. Apparently the monk has a large bear tattoo.   They asked if Nev had heard any other rumours and he told them about Asa Adir, a man working out of the slums who claimed to be able to resurrect the dead.   On the way to find Adir, they stopped at Vinder’s. The store was clearly closed but there was a small sign on the door that read “Always Open for Friends”. Inside they found Vinder sitting behind the counter in his nightwear.   Eiyo purchased a set of leather bracers from him that were covered in small runes which glowed gold when she was wearing them.   Graak asked to see the Acid blade Vinder had mentioned. It was a beautiful jade-green dragonsteel that began to burn after toughing the blade for more than a few seconds.   The pair then found Adir’s temple and introduced themselves to him. They learned he is able to journey into the soul plane via astral projection and bring back the souls of the dead to their bodies – so long as they are intact.   They also learned that Adir had witnessed some truly terrible things in the other plane – things which had clearly affected him in a way no one in the party was equipped to help.   Adir told them that resurrection is not an exact process and there are no guarantees that a person will even come back, and that if they do they may not be whole. He told them of a young girl he bought back who lost her sight when she returned to her body.   The pair asked what materials he needed for this process and he told them he needed diamond powder – a fairly common ingredient of powerful spells – flayleaf, and the bile sac of a hydra. He told them he would contact them if he learned the location of such a creature.   The pair then returned to the Lodge for the night, where Eiyo smoked a small amount of Flayleaf before sleep.   Loodachris and Badaar   The Pair visited Calistra’s Kiss as Graak was defeating the Gorilla. Loodachris asked Nev if he could have the creature’s pelt. Nev told him he could if he would get in the ring. As Loodachris looked so scrawny, Nev agreed to let him use his magic.   Loodachris fought a Dire Lion which came close to claiming his life, but he was able to shocking grasp it to death.   Badaar then entered the ring against the Doctor, who had styled themselves after a plague doctor. Badaar threw off his cloak and announced who he was at the start of the fight.   The Doctor’s touch was diesiesed and Badaar became sickened, but he was able to win the fight.   After the fight was complete, the pair heard about a man in the slums who could supposedly bring people back to life. They travelled to meet Asa Adir, who told them about the Soul Plane and needing Diamond dust, Flayleaf, and the bile sac of a Hydra to be able to perform the spell.   They then returned to the lodge for the night.