Adventurer
115 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Granth on Sept 9, 2022 15:16:17 GMT -5
Looting the dead wasn't a very honorable choice to make, but it sure could be profitable.
The Flood Roads often were the grave of unwary travelers who didn't know how to predict the ebb and flow of the tide. Sometimes they washed up on distant shores, but others, as Garth found out, washed up inside the underground tunnels. A looter might only find a rusty dagger or some soggy clothes, but a lucky scavenger could come across whole coin purses, magical weapons, expensive liquors, and so much more. Of course, there was also the very real chance of drowning if the tide rose suddenly, but so long as one knew the patterns, so long as one knew what sort of window they had to do their dirty deeds, the work was relatively safe.
Granth was such a man. He and a couple thugs were down in the Flood Road, looting not only the dead but also taking a few useful herbs and mushrooms that grew there, unique specimens that could either be sold for a decent price or be used to make a decent poultice or salve. The pickings were slim thus far: a few useful lichens, a couple rare mushrooms, and a silver dagger were all the group had found. None of it was particularly useful, but at least they'd turn a profit with zero violence involved.
It was a good day. Granth just hoped nobody interrupted their lovely scheme. The bandit king paused, listening to the sounds of the cavern, hearing the drip-drip of water and the squeaking of distant bats. He also heard... an echo. Footsteps, perhaps...?
"Keep working," the bandit leader muttered to his men, "but be on guard. Don't think we're alone down here."
|
|
Mage's Guild
IS OFFLINE
18
Renown
Half-elf
534 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Sarris on Sept 9, 2022 16:40:24 GMT -5
Sarris hated the Marsh Flatts since she was a little girl. To be forced to take shelter in the tunnels from a storm was beyond words.
The night before lightning had flashed so often the place looked as white as a whale bone. The flash and roar of the thunder was enough to drive a girl to prayer. She sat in the tunnels watching the rats run the tunnel without concern they were the top preditors in this place.
The tunnel smelled of death, of decay, of rot. It offended Sarris’ nose and made her feel dirty all the way to her soul. She had been in sewers, she had been in caves but nothing was this bad.
Sarris closed her eyes and sent a pulse out fro her body feeling the waves return. The rats had a colony down the tunnel and off on a side passage. She felt a group of people coming so she could see the only way out was through the people. She slid in a side passage and made herself invisible waiting.
|
|
The Expedition
IS OFFLINE
10
Renown
Male
Moonglade
The most powerful dadbod in Charon
589 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Beistmild on Sept 9, 2022 18:44:38 GMT -5
Beist took another small cutting from a strange plant that was growing up the wall. It resembled ivy, but it was somewhat reminiscent of seaweed and had some glowing red dots along the edges of the leaves. It was fascinating to Beist. He plucked a couple of leaves, careful not to damage the stem, and slipped them into a glass vial. He held the vial to his eyes, taking a very close look, before putting it into the leather pouch at his waist.
Today's trip into the Flood Roads had proven to be a very fruitful one. He was about to continue on, looking for another specimen, when he heard the thunder echo down the cave. He stopped in his tracks and turned back the way he had come from.
"I suppose that's plenty for today. I really must be going, before the rainwater makes the caves flood a bit sooner than expected." he muttered to himself.
As he walked along, he thought he heard some voices coming from one of the tunnels as he passed by. He turned his head to take a peak at the source of the voices and saw a group of men standing around a dead body, looking directly at him.
"Uh..." he stuttered, standing in surprise for a moment. He slowly turned and continued walking, trying to pretend he hadn't seen anything. He hoped the bandits would do the same and pretend they just hadn't seen him.
|
|
Adventurer
115 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Granth on Sept 9, 2022 19:02:28 GMT -5
An awkward silence fell over the cavern as the three bandits by the corpse by the water stared back at the strange, beast-like man standing at the entrance to the cave. There they were, hunched over a drowned man, rifling through his pockets and taking off his boots, and someone happened to waltz in just then.
Unfortunately, it was Skinny Joe who spoke up first.
"We, uh, we didn't kill that guy," the red-headed slinger stammered out, pointing down at the body. He swallowed nervously.
"We didn't kill that guy," Granth repeated, sounding frustrated as he glared at the young man. "How do you make the truth sound so incriminating, you moron?!"
"I'm sorry, boss!"
"Just shutup!" hissed the masked archer, glaring at the young man. He turned back to the burly beastman, quietly tucked the corpse's coinpurse away, and gathered his thoughts. He really didn't want a fight, not when the tunnels could start flooding within the next few minutes. Sure, the flooding would start small, but picking a fight would be too much of a risk, and the beastman didn't look particularly wealthy. So, Granth spoke in as diplomatic a tone as he could muster.
"We did not kill that guy," the very scary archer repeated slowly. "This is not as bad as it looks. Ain't about to let good stuff go to waste, though."
The archer raised an eyebrow across at the big fellow as he noticed the flora he was carrying. A thought came to his mind.
"You buying herbs?"
|
|
Mage's Guild
IS OFFLINE
18
Renown
Half-elf
534 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Sarris on Sept 9, 2022 20:00:26 GMT -5
Sarris listened to the thieves talking with Beist. She laughed from down the tunnel at the men. She could not help it. The sound of it echoed and bounce from different angles in the tunnel. She picked up a rock and started to walk towards them. She tapped her broom as a walking sticks she came towards them from the tunnel. She was going for a bigger-than-life effect.
She knew that new thieves did thing like this, mid-level - which she was - worked, the professional thieves went into government work.
“Hello boys,” she said letting the invisibility fall and appearing.
“Do not worry about Beist, he is a gentle giant. He would heal you if you just asked him. So he is a good man to know so treat him well,” she said. Sarris tried to look mysterious and sexy at the same time. She needed another twenty years on her to even have a chance and a lot more practice. Still she gave it her best try. “I am Sarris, the Grey Mistress,” she added.
|
|
The Expedition
IS OFFLINE
10
Renown
Male
Moonglade
The most powerful dadbod in Charon
589 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Beistmild on Sept 9, 2022 20:48:00 GMT -5
Ah, she told them my name. Now it will be much easier for them to track me down and murder me. Well, it probably would have been pretty easy for them to do that anyways, I suppose. I'm not very hard to describe... Beist thought to himself as he stared at Sarris with surprise, his mouth hanging open. These are definitely bandits, and now Sarris is here too. Oh, what is happening?! He cleared his throat and tried to act normal.
"Ah, I didn't expect to see you here, Sarris. What are... you doing...?" he asked as he saw Sarris's strange act, his eyes narrowing and his head tilting slightly to the side. He wasn't entirely sure what she was trying to do, but it seemed like she was trying to act... seductive? Her act certainly needed some work. "...here! What are you doing here?" he finished, stumbling over his words a little.
He looked to the man who spoke to him about herbs. He seemed to be the leader of the other men, who were most definitely bandits from their appearance and demeanor. He didn't know if they were telling the truth about killing the person on the ground, but they definitely seemed like they could have. He tried to give his friendliest, least concerned for his life smile.
"Uh, herbs. Yes, I may be interested. However, this cavern is likely to flood very soon thanks to the heavy rains outside. It would be best to get going. Perhaps we can speak after we are no longer at risk of drowning" he said as another crack of thunder echoed down the caverns. "You're uh... not bandits right? Your outfits certainly scream 'bandit', you know. Though, it would be a bit hypocritical of me to judge someone based on appearances. You should try wearing less... hoods and masks" he said, his hand gesturing toward them. "Anyways, we should be going now"
He turned once again, and started walking back down the path he had used to enter the caverns.
|
|
Adventurer
115 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Granth on Sept 10, 2022 10:42:16 GMT -5
The beastman's nervous questions and Sarris's attempt to pose like a femme fatale brought an awkward silence over the cavern. It wasn't their fault, really. The whole situation, the entirety of the circumstance and surrounding conversation, had been somewhat surreal from the very beginning.
"The grey who?" asked the skinner red-headed slinger in the back.
The mace-wielding bandit coughed. He opened his mouth to speak. Granth clamped his hand on his shoulder in a way that clearly said 'no, do not even think about it.' Then the masked archer spoke up.
"We are not bandits," the bandit king lied, his pants on fire in a purely metaphorical sense. He didn't even bother commenting on the bit about their outfits looking bandit-like.
"Cavern ain't flooding for at least another ten minutes," the archer called out as Beistmild prepared to leave. "Ain't no reason to be rude. You want herbs; we've got herbs. Least you could do is give 'em a lookover. It's polite."
He wasn't trying to sound aggressive. No, really! But Granth's nature was inherently antagonistic, and he didn't like seeing a potential source of money slip out between his fingers. If the big, gentle beastman was a healer, he was going to try to sell him some healing supplies, dammit!
|
|
Mage's Guild
IS OFFLINE
18
Renown
Half-elf
534 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Sarris on Sept 10, 2022 15:12:54 GMT -5
Sarris pouted a little. No one found her scary or seductive. That was the problem of elven youth, she looked like a child to a lot of people. She would have to work on that. “The Gray Mistress - a witch, rides on a broom, turns invisible, puts hexes on people, steals your children teaches them to be lawyers and gives them back, you know evil stuff…” she said someone had to call her that so she could claim it. She held us a hand as one of the men was about to say something. “No, I do not do love potions,” she said with a defiant tone. “If you ask, I will make your testecles shrivel and your beer smell like poop,” she added.
She looked at the bandit leader and said, “He is not a pigeon to be plucked. I am a sister in the trade and I can help you…”
She took three stones out of her pocket started them glowing and started juggling them. “You have eight minutes to make your deal Beist before we all go swimming with the rats,” she said. “A couple hundred of the just down the tunnel and they like to crawl on things that float,” she added.
|
|
The Expedition
IS OFFLINE
10
Renown
Male
Moonglade
The most powerful dadbod in Charon
589 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Beistmild on Sept 10, 2022 16:13:22 GMT -5
Beist put a hand over his mouth to hold back his laughter as Sarris described all of her evil deeds. In all the time he'd known her, she always gave him the impression of an innocent young girl that just thought she was evil. He turned back to the masked man again with a slight sigh.
"Alright then, I suppose I'll take a look at your... wares... but we must be quick about it. I don't have gills and I don't believe any of you do either. And I won't be buying just anything, you know" he said in a dignified voice. He didn't like this situation, but he would always have his pride as an alchemist. He wouldn't compromise his standards by being pressured into purchasing low-quality or useless goods.
He had a serious expression on his face as he held out his hand for the herbs they were offering.
|
|
Adventurer
115 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Granth on Sept 10, 2022 23:21:05 GMT -5
Granth narrowed his eyes just slightly at the strange half-elven woman. He really wasn't sure what to make of her. She didn't look like a witch. She did look like she could be a fellow criminal, but Granth got the feeling she plied her trade in cities rather than the open road. The way she talked about the beastman not being a 'pigeon to be plucked' suggested as much, at least.
She also used the word 'poop,' and Granth just had trouble taking a purported blackheart seriously after that. He didn't correct her, though, just in case she really did have some mystical powers to bring to bear in a fit of wrath. Granth knew better than to anger wizards. He preferred dealing with them when they were unawares, and she was incredibly aware.
So, the leader of the bandits nodded to Sarris, then focused attention on Beist. He snapped his fingers.
"Boris," Granth called out. "Show the man the goods."
The big fellow, Boris, obliged. He came on forward and started showing the various herbs the group had collected while down in the caves. The collection was... well, the quality varied from worthless to surprisingly valuable.
There were some edible mushrooms, for one. Those weren't really worth much. There was some moss that glowed a little; interesting, but not really valuable, either. But there were also some poisonous cave mushrooms, lichens used in treating bleeding, and a couple herbs from the water that could be used to make potions. The big man also tried to sell a couple personal effects looted from drowned men as well, but Beist probably wasn't interested in those.
Meanwhile, Granth just watched, keeping an eye on the water and warily watching to see if the rats mentioned might come out to play. He really hated rats. They weren't even good eating!
|
|
Mage's Guild
IS OFFLINE
18
Renown
Half-elf
534 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Sarris on Sept 11, 2022 16:18:54 GMT -5
Sarris watched them closely. “So what other work do you do? The meet and greet (highway banditry)? Catwalks (2nd story jobs)?” She asked. She did not want Beist to think the worst of these men. “Or just grave robbing?” She asked.
She looked at Beist and his inspection. “The mushrooms looks good,” she threw in.
“Would be happy to help you move things that might need a new owner? I have some friends that do that sort of work,” she said politely.
|
|
The Expedition
IS OFFLINE
10
Renown
Male
Moonglade
The most powerful dadbod in Charon
589 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Beistmild on Sept 11, 2022 21:44:27 GMT -5
Beist inspected each item as they were handed to him. He looked at the edible mushrooms in his hand for a moment before shaking his head and handing them back. He received a clump of lightly glowing moss. He spread it out to take a look. It was a bit damaged and looked like it had been harvested roughly.
"Did you just tear it off the wall? It's in awful condition. Well, I suppose it can recover with a little care." he mumbled as he carefully placed the moss inside a pouch.
Next, he was handed a small herb. He took it and held it up to his nose, taking a sniff. He gave a small nod before placing the herb in his bag. He continued to receive and appraise various goods, either handing them back afterward or placing them in a pouch or bag on his waist. He kept some lichen, a few herbs, and a mushroom. He refused to buy anything that wasn't a plant or mushroom, in case they were stolen.
Lastly, Boris handed him some purple mushrooms. He had a slight look of concern as he pulled out another leather bag and held it out for him to place the mushrooms in. "You're going to want to rinse your hands off thoroughly, after touching those without gloves."
He watched Boris go off in a slight panic to a corner of the cavern with a pool of water that was slowly rising and rinse his hands off. He turned his attention back to the masked leader of the bunch.
"None of these items are particularly valuable and they're not very expertly harvested either. They're not in perfect condition. One of these herbs might have been more valuable if the roots were still attached. Unfortunately, they weren't. I can only offer this much for them. You'd probably receive even less for them at an apothecary, if you were able to sell them at all." he said as he held out his hand with a few coins. The coins were about half of what one might expect to receive for these items at a market. If they were in perfect condition.
|
|
Adventurer
115 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Granth on Sept 12, 2022 0:17:02 GMT -5
Granth was a little insulted by the small sum he was offered. He didn't expect to get much, but maybe a little more than that. He might have tried arguing with the beastman about the matter, but he could tell the water was beginning to rise; it'd be prudent to just get the business done and get out. He'd avoid risking an arrest by selling to the beastman, anyway, so he nodded for Boris to take the deal.
As Boris secured his coin and handed over the herbs, Granth approached Sarris quietly to confer with her out of earshot of the beastman.
"Do a lot of rough work," Granth told her quietly, leaning forward so she could hear him. "Kind that gets your hands dirty. Ain't shy about it. End up needing new fences now and then, yeah," he admitted, folding his arms over his chest. "Better to spread the goods out to several buyers.
"You say you got movers. What're you asking for a name?" the archer asked, raising an eyebrow across at the half-elf.
Unfortunately, the conversation was soon to be cut short. As Boris was finalizing his deal and Granth was making arrangements with Sarris, an unseen fourth party was coming onto the scene. Nobody noticed the approach of something large sliding across the floor, something transparent, something that left a trail of slime upon the floor as it lurched forward with soft slurps. Nobody noticed the large, acidic ooze approaching from another tunnel.
The ooze was the true king of looters, and some fresh new morsels had entered its paradise.
|
|
Mage's Guild
IS OFFLINE
18
Renown
Half-elf
534 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Sarris on Sept 21, 2022 20:26:23 GMT -5
Sarris listened intently, a brother in arm that did what she would not was good to know for those times a heavier hand was needed. “I am a mover who has a dealer!” She explained. “I do more of the soft work,” she said.
When the Ooze entered the space, Sarris was not happy to see the Ooze, she had not experienced one before and if it was here, she was sure she did not want to. “I am not sure what that is…” Sarris said pointing and trying to figure out what to do.
|
|
The Expedition
IS OFFLINE
10
Renown
Male
Moonglade
The most powerful dadbod in Charon
589 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Beistmild on Sept 21, 2022 20:44:56 GMT -5
Beist finished securing all of his purchases on his person, fastening his bags closed and drawing the strings of his pouches. He looked up when Sarris pointed out something entering the tunnel that she didn't recognize. He looked toward the thing, curious. He recognized the creature as an ooze that was slowly sliming toward the group.
"Ah, that would be an ooze. It's likely here because it was attracted by this corpse, here. They aren't nicknamed nature's cleaning crew for no reason. Well, nature's other cleaning crew. The first would be fungus, bacteria, and other decomposers. I wonder if the ooze is the primary decomposer in the cavern? That would be interesting. Oh, you should stay away from it. They generally go for corpses, but they aren't afraid to attack living things." he said, backing away from the ooze.
The water was steadily rising and he was ready and eager to leave. He was a little interested in studying the ooze, but there was far too little time left before these caverns would be underwater. It was time for them all to go. Hopefully, these people would take his advice and stay clear of the ooze while it did its job of dissolving the corpse.
|
|