Hope springs eternal, but the initial surveys of the jail cells reveal nothing but skeletal remains and a room that apparently doubles as the bottom of a pit trap – so it doesn’t seem like Fingers is present. Sadface. Oh well, does that mean we only split the treasure by five now? Perhaps…perhaps.
The intrepid group is running out of food, so they cannot stay any longer without risking starvation and/or cannibalism, so off they go. They eventually reach the surface and find themselves embroiled in a bit of a diplomatic row with some elven druids that take offense at their desecration of the mysterious standing stones.
When Bayga convinces them of the truth – namely that the stones are just the crenellations atop a very large tower that has sunk into the swampy boglands – the druids react with consternation and immediately depart to seek the council of other druids. As they depart, they alert the party to the presence of the misplaced Fingers, who is now encased in an amber force field that resists all attempts to move it. Well, well, well. Looks like some excavation is necessary…too bad the only shovel is now encased in the aforementioned force field. *sigh*
With dagger, axe and shield, they begin to excavate a large earthen plug atop which sits the gnome. Over the course of the next two days they complete the excavation and fashion a travois from the nearby trees. They lash the 300 pounds of earth and gnome to the travois and whip the donkeys into motion, departing in some haste lest druids who think to detect alignment return to the scene…’tis best to be elsewhere.
RNGeesus is kind to them and there are no major encounters on the road back to Sariush. The donkeys are sold back to the horse (donkey) trader at half-price. “These donkeys are now used!”, laments the trader. Zaal laughs at the ridiculousness of it all, but what are they going to do with two donkeys in the city? The gnome and his earthen plug are crated and hauled to the docks to await a cargo ship. Within a day or two, passage is arranged and the group arrives back in Ptolus, having run out of food the day before.
A teamster and wagon are hired and the gnome is dropped off on the sidewalk outside the temple. The teamster is paid to stay, in case his wagon is needed later on. Sniffles and Kegdrain stand guard while the rest go and deliver the tome to the priest who hired them. The outstanding balance is paid off and the priest gives them a red garnet, telling them to keep it close at hand. He implies that help will be forthcoming, but he must attend to other matters right now. The gnome is loaded back into the wagon and the group has him delivered to the flophouse door. They pile a few rungs on top and a potted plant, then go about their business, trying to liquidate and identify the loot they have collected so far. They sell a few items and spend some time hanging about the delver’s guild. There the news reaches them that the priest of the temple has been found – sawn into little pieces and stuffed in large jars of oilve oil. From the description it is clear that this is not the same person with whom they were contracted, so something is clearly afoot. Hmm.
A few more days pass and the group is visited by a red-clad figure who identifies himself as being there to help. He knows of the gnome’s plight and can help rectify the situation. There is a faint stench of death and rot about him, but beggars can’t be choosers and everyone makes sure to remove themselves from the premises when the red wizard produces a wand to dispel the offending force field. With that task completed, the figure makes another few cryptic comments and departs. Fingers asks a bunch of questions and those spawn a few more. Sadly, not many answers seem to be forthcoming. Well…no sense worrying about it. Time to look for more profitable jobs.
Leave a reply