CH. 13: Consequences

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra looks around the room, then laughs lightly as she can feel the somewhat romantic atmosphere around them. "If I didn't know any better, one could say you planned this."

[TristenC]

Grubnick is confused by their withdrawal, but he continues on to the far door. As soon as he is (hopefully) outside he begins running around the back in the rough direction of the belzorite lair.
(He will obviously try to avoid soldiers and use the spaces between buildings as he goes. Basically following the horizontal line in the 4 on the map's number 24)


[Ooc: lol. They're calling in an air-strike... this is gonna hurt..]

[Haahque]

The dragon passing by is sort of akin to a storm cloud passing in Haahqae's mind. From all these people talking about dragons being able to detect invisibility, Haahqae is relieved that he dropped the spell before the dragon arrived. He can lie his way out of most situations, but explaining running towards the temple invisible to a dragon might not be his cup of coffee.

"What sort of situation? I have urgent news for the priestess regarding some of her bounty hunters that needs to be conveyed as quickly as possible."

When he hears that it shouldn't be long he just shrugs and replies "It better be quick."

[JadedDM]

Haahqae (River Way)
"That's classified," the baaz replies simply. "You'll have to wait until we get the signal."

"What is this news you speak of?" asks a feminine voice from behind him. Should he turn, Haahqae would see a human woman wearing black robes with her cowl covering her face--one of the clerics of Takhisis, although which one is difficult to tell. She sounds younger than the high priestess, though.

Kendra Greylock (2527 Market Street, Greylock's Gorgeous Gems)
"What do you mean?" asks Sadron innocently. "Don't you have trouble seeing in the dark? Although I admit...I had forgotten how pretty you look in the candlelight..." He looks her in the eyes and smiles warmly.

Grubnick (The Happee Ohgr)
Grubnick opens the door to reveal...a storage room of some kind, filled with barrels and sacks. Some kind of walk-in pantry. There's another door to the left, but it hangs open to reveal a small, private privy. There apparently is no back door at all.

He has a few options. There is a window in the pantry. It's high up, but if he can climb up there somehow, he might be able to squeeze through. He could also try jumping down the privy. The gods know what's down there, although one could guess. He is small enough to fit through, though. Finally, he could try turning back. Although likely the baaz have the entrance pretty well covered.

The bartender follows him in. "What are you doing? What is this about? You aren't supposed to be back here, you know!" she says, still confused on what is going on.

[TristenC]

The baaz are trying to get rid of the goblins. I overheard a plan, they're going to try to kill us all! He says, trying to climb a shelf nearby enough to reach the window or stack boxes to reach it if there isn't a shelf near enough.

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra's cheeks flush lightly pink at the compliment. "Aw," she says as she puts her hands on her cheeks as if to hide the blush. "You're making me blush like some little girl."

[Haahque]

Haahqae, somewhat surprised by the new arrival is unsure if he should relay his message to her, or only to the high priestess. Eventually he decides on a compromise, with a brief summery told now. "A warning specifically. As something of a bounty hunter myself occasionally, I've worked with them before, and they are not to be trusted. Two of them have worked against the church before, and the others aren't much better."

[JadedDM]

Haahqae (River Way)
The cleric laughs sardonically. "I see. And so you wish to eliminate your competition then, is that it?" she asks with grim amusement.

There's a flash of light behind Haahqae. Even from half a mile away, he can clearly see a building go up in flame as a large dragon breathes a jet of fire into it. The light is so bright, he could possibly see it from anywhere in the city.

"Looks like that's the signal," the baaz comments. "The heretic's dead. You can pass now. Don't dally, curfew is in an hour."

"Yes, I shall accompany you," says the cleric. "I want to know more about this 'important' news."

Kendra Greylock (2527 Market Street, Greylock's Gorgeous Gems)
"I'm sorry," Sadron says. "I should be...better behaved. I keep forgetting you are married to another now," he says, looking away in shame. "It feels like old times so much these days...it can be easy to forget."

Grubnick (The Happee Ohgr)
"You can't be serious," the bartender replies, clearly skeptical. "The Dragon Queen needs us too much to wipe us all out. And if she was, she wouldn't send her baaz to do it." Grubnick had never been very good at lying, and it's clear she doesn't believe him.

Grubnick manages to climb up to the window and push it open. He manages to squeeze through by wriggling about a bit. He drops down to the other side and barely makes it 20 feet before the entire building goes up in flame. The intensity of the heat is indescribable. Even with Sirrion's protection, Grubnick is certain he'd be nothing more than a puddle of goo right now had he not made it out in time. The leather he's wearing pops and crackles under the massive heat radiating from the tavern. There's no way anyone inside survived that.

==========

Grubnick makes a CHA check [TN 6] (1d20): 13, fail.
Grubnick makes a climbing check while in hide armor (+5%) and wounded (+10%) with abundant handholds (-40%) [TN 40%] (1d100-25): 55-25 = 30, pass.
Grubnick makes a DEX check [TN 17] (1d20): 2, pass.
Red Dragon breathes fire on the tavern, dealing (16d10+8): 7,3,9,8,5,1,2,7,3,8,10,7,7,10,1,9+8 = 105 damage. Everyone and everything inside is vaporized.

Ne-Chanz and Shima (River Way)
Ne-Chanz watches as the red dragon swoops down onto the nearby tavern, the Happee Ohgr and with one breath of flame, completely incinerates it. Ne-Chanz has fought a dragon before--a small white, once upon a time ago. But that was a dwarf compared to this massive red. And they say the red that protects the prefect is even larger. Within seconds, the entire building is vaporized. There aren't even any screams from inside, as anyone within was killed instantly, without suffering.

"Praise Takhisis, the heretic is dead!" says the half-ogre. He picks up an unconscious dwarf. His paralyzed companions seem to be able to move again, so they start for the temple, this time with a much larger guard of draconians to protect them.

"You can pass now," says the checkpoint guard to the minotaur. "Curfew is in an hour, don't forget."

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra picks at her food at little bit before she shakes her head. "You don't have to apologize, Sadron," she says. "It isn't as if the feelings aren't there. It is hard not to act on them."

[TristenC]

Grubnick staggers backwards away from the blast, shielding his weak eyes from the intense light and his face from the blistering heat. His hood falls back as the leathers crackle and snap around him and he peels off his leather cloak and casts it into the inferno. Stunned, he backs away from the blaze in utter shock, bumping into the small out-building. [the 3x2 building to the right of the tavern's remains] He slides down to a seated position, eyes wide and mind numb... Delharn... all those civilians...

[JadedDM]

Kendra Greylock (2527 Market Street, Greylock's Gorgeous Gems)
"You're right about that," Sadron admits. "My feelings never changed. I tried to let you go, to forget about you, to move on...but I couldn't..," he says, looking away again.

Grubnick (River Way)
Grubnick leans against the nearby building...it appears to be a small residence. He contemplates the loss of life--so much of it just to get at him. Just how many lives would the Dragon Queen be willing to sacrifice to secure her monopoly on faith? One thing is for certain--she is not playing around.

He watches the building blaze wildly. He had never seen fire burn this hot and bright before, even in his time serving Sirrion. The dragon who caused the fire circles above, admiring his handiwork with a certain smugness, before eventually flying off from boredom.

[TristenC]

Grubnick gives a shiver as the oppressive dread lightens somewhat with the passing of the dragon. Using the wall at his back for support, he unsteadily regains his feet and proceeds back to the High Hand in a daze.

[HorizonsDream]

"After how I broke up with you, I thought you would have moved on," Kendra says. "I mean, it looks like I did even though I really didn't."

[Haahque]

Relieved that the wait wasn't long, Haahqae hurries on his way towards the temple. To the priest who decided to accompany him he continues "I merely wish to inform the church of some misdeeds those agents have done in the past. That way you'll know who you're dealing with before trusting agents who don't deserve it. If I should happen to get more work from it that would just be an unintended and pleasant side effect."

[JadedDM]

Haahqae (Temple of Takhisis)
"Ah, I see," the cleric says as they head to the temple. "And your concern then, is that these dastardly mercenaries may somehow pull a fast one over the Dragon Queen? That there is something you know that she does not?" She grins sardonically.

Thanks to the head start, they reach the temple well before the procession--which has now doubled in size--and approach the guards at the entrance. "State your name and purpose of visit," the guard says to Haahqae simply.

Kendra Greylock (2527 Market Street, Greylock's Gorgeous Gems)
"My parents were very keen on making me move on," Sadron explains. "They were always trying to fix me up with some well off elven lass. But I just wasn't interested. They eventually let it go...although knowing them, they would probably start pressuring me again in a century or so." He shakes his head sadly. "I guess it doesn't much matter now. My people have lost their homeland. Getting married hardly seems pressing concern now."

Grubnick (High Hand Inn)
In a daze, Grubnick starts to walk back to the High Hand. The pain of his injuries is the only thing that keeps his mind focused on his task. With one heretic 'dead' and the other in custody, security has lightened up now and he doesn't have any trouble crossing the checkpoints, but he does draw a few strange looks due to the wounds.

When he arrives at the High Hand, the place is packed and everyone is abuzz. They are discussing the events of the night--the attack on the Hero of Haven, the capture of the heretic cleric, the appearance of a second heretic, and the complete destruction of the Happee Ohgr.