Wednesday, June 19, 2024

The Life and Times of a Deadman - Episode 24 - Sleepy Reptiles, Surprise Ambushes, and Hidden Passageways

The group continued their adventure with a fierce battle. London swung at a reptilian creature and missed, while Sabrina swam to the surface. Audrey Rose hurled a flesh-eating bomb at the creature, cutting it off mid-speech. Dol missed the target and clambered up to the roof. Tweetie Bear charged towards the threat but was unable to advance. Zita vaulted off Tweetie Bear onto the roof, positioning herself near the reptile.

The reptile’s neck expanded as it spat a liquid at Audrey Rose, causing her to fall asleep. It then flew forty feet into the sky. London attempted to strike again but missed. The creature attacked London three times, severely injuring him, prompting him to heal himself.

Sabrina stabbed Audrey Rose to wake her up. Startled, Audrey Rose threw another flesh-eating bomb at the creature. The reptile swiped at her but missed, growling, “I will deal with you next.”

The battle continued with Sabrina making the creature laugh, potentially saving the group. Eventually, Zita landed a critical hit, and London decapitated the beast. With the fight over, the levitated water dropped back into the ocean, and the people inside the building, though gagging, were alive. Suddenly, swarms of armed people poured out, yelling, “Get them.”

Audrey Rose ran forward and threw a flesh-eating bomb, while Tweetie Bear charged. Zita readied her crossbow, and London rushed forward, barking and swinging his sword, shaking the mobs. A fight ensued, and after the dust settled, Sabrina interrogated the three goons from earlier.

Sabrina: “How do we get Shiver to you?”

Goon: “The Shiver dealers hired us to ambush you. They promised us Shiver for life.”

Sabrina pressed on with her questions, and the goon revealed that Greely was under the Red Elephant, near the Midnight Fountain. Sabrina secured the goons inside and iron-staked the door shut, then led the group to the Red Elephant to find Greely.

They found a secure door in a dead-end alley. Zita and Audrey Rose picked the lock, revealing a courtyard with an outhouse and a spiral staircase. Sabrina heard muffled voices beyond a door. Four people were in the courtyard. Sabrina asked for Greely, bluffing her way through, and learned that he was upstairs. The group followed her up.

They entered a room with three single beds and found two more men and a robed figure. Sabrina shouted, “Greely, we’re here about raises.” Greely spun around, yelling, “That’s them. Get them.” A fight ensued. Zita took down a blind man and stripped down the mage, finding a potion, scrolls, and a magical amulet.

Audrey Rose examined a pretty parakeet in a non-magical cage. The group searched the room, finding that the outhouse didn’t smell right. London discovered a hidden passage under the wooden seat. Sabrina identified the amulet as natural armor +1, the potion as invisibility, and three scrolls of cure moderate wounds.

Zita found a secret door in the wall, checked it for traps, and found it unlocked. Audrey Rose examined items on a table, including lanterns, mirrors, candlesticks, and various pieces of jewelry worth 300 gold. There was a large glass jar filled with gold-filled teeth worth 30 gold, three holy symbols to the Sovereign Host worth 25 gold each, a gilded birdcage worth 10 gold, and a wooden case of silverware worth 120 gold. They also found a gold holy symbol worth 50 gold.

Audrey Rose remembered Lady Carrington mentioning that Frell Tan had tried to sell her items, including a silverware set and a birdcage. They discovered 40 glass vials of Shiver. Zita opened the secret door with a crowbar, revealing a narrow hallway. She proceeded cautiously, discovering another door. The floor gave way beneath her, but she jumped aside just in time. She opened the unlocked door to a smaller room packed with mundane goods worth 800 gold and an imp corpse resembling a desiccated monkey with a poison stinger.

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