CH. 17: Poison Curse

[JadedDM]

Jocelyn, Ouragana, Baeros, Gallath and Drav (Alley behind Temple of Renos/Sardonx 15th, 11 PM)
"Ethan?" Sable shakes her head. "Of course, I never thought you would kill him. Why would you? You were the captain's woman, there was no benefit in you killing him. Honestly, if anyone would have a motivation to do so, it would be Scourge. He was the first mate and is now the captain. No, I'm talking about Niles, Scourge's nephew. The one he sent to spy on you in Condletun. When he stopped sending reports, we stopped by there to investigate. After some interrogation, we learned he was dead--by your own hand. You see, I had hoped to convince Scourge to just let it go. You were a priestess now, no longer any kind of threat. He sent Niles to confirm this. But once you killed him, things became personal."

Sable doesn't seem to have noticed Gallath yet, as he is doing his best to remain concealed with his cloak. Naishe places a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, noticing how tense he looks.

Val and Naras (Ixitxachitl Lair/Sardonx 12th, 1 PM)
The ixitxachitl doesn't answer Naras, but instead swoops down on her and bites into her neck before she has a chance to drink the potion. Everything goes black as the dwarf loses consciousness. While it is distracted, however, this allows Val to run it through, ending its life.

Initiative
Val (1d10+5): 10+5 = 15
Naras (1d10+4): 7+4 = 11
Ixitxachitl 02 (1d10+3): 4+3 = 7

Round 4!

Ixitxachitl 02 bites at Naras who is using her magical shield (-2 hit) [TN 9] (1d20-2): 19-2 = 17, hit for (3d4): 4,1,4 = 9 damage. Naras falls.
Naras is unconscious and bleeding out.
Val stabs her Trident of the Hunter (+2 hit/dmg) with great skill (+1 hit/+2 dmg) at Ixitxachitl 02 [TN 9] (1d20+3): 13+3 = 16, hit for (1d6+5): 5+5 = 10 damage. Ixitxachitl 02 dies.
Val has no targets.

(OOC: End combat.)

[BishGada]

Baeros is about to say something... He remembered his first meeting with the group. They were chasing a young person in the woods and he didn't know what is going on. After few minutes that person exposed himself as an assassin and tried to kill Baeros too, and now he had a lot to say to this woman... But then he remembers the last reaction of the team when he had acted. He saved them and still what he got? Thanks? No... only complains... And that stings. Especially from Jocelyn. He was ready to die for her, and he tried to follow her advice and be nice to the murderers who tried to rob them... and to the Oni... God damn woman! and now we fell into an ambush. Don't you see this way doesn't work?!? He looks around at his friends and then notice Gallath breathing heavily. Suddenly he forget all his anger and goes near him whispering. "What's wrong?"

[HorizonsDream]

"He tried to kill me," Jocelyn says with a shake of her head. "His orders might have been to spy on me, but I guess he got a different idea into his head. Though, he was killed after he tried that attempt on me by my friends," she says with a sigh. "But all of this isn't because of the captain?"

[Breila]

"That is right" Ouragana says gravely to Sable. "Jocelyn didn't lay a hand on him. We saw someone trying to murder her and made sure he couldn't."

[JadedDM]

Jocelyn, Ouragana, Baeros, Gallath and Drav (Alley behind Temple of Renos/Sardonx 15th, 11 PM)
"Kill you?" Sable bursts out laughing. "He wasn't supposed to do that. What a stupid thing to do! But that does sound like him. He was so eager to please his uncle...maybe he thought if he took you out he'd get a big promotion. He was pretty green; barely a lad, really. Obviously over his head."

She shrugs. "When Scourge heard you were still alive, he wanted to go after you and finish the job. I talked him out of it, telling him you weren't a threat and anyway, we didn't know for sure it was you. After all, would the real Jocelyn Blaine not changed her name or made any attempt to disguise herself? So he sent Niles to scout out Condletun, find out if it was really you or not. He was supposed to just send reports on your activity, nothing else. I think I had mostly convinced Scourge to let it go...you were a priestess now, most of the crew had forgotten about Ethan by that point anyway. You weren't a threat. He was just about to recall Niles, but then he turned up dead, and...well, that riled Scourge all up again." She chuckles. "It's a shame you had to kill him. If you had taken him alive and let him go, Scourge would have probably just been amused at the boy's humiliation and called the whole thing off." She shakes her head. "There's no talking him out of it now. You made it personal by killing him, I'm afraid."

[HorizonsDream]

"I had no idea he was related to Scourge, though," Jocelyn points out. "It was just someone that was trying to kill me, so my friends protected me." It was possible to have taken him alive, but Jocelyn was in a state of shock after the whole thing that she didn't really know what to do. "Is there any way that he will listen to what I have to say on the matter?"

[Nuke]

Val tries to administer the healing potion......

[spyguy1503]

Gallath turns to Baeros. "It was her. She destroyed my village." He turns to Sable again. He is being somewhat obvious.

[JadedDM]

Jocelyn, Ouragana, Baeros, Gallath and Drav (Alley behind Temple of Renos/Sardonx 15th, 11 PM)
Sable shrugs. "Scourge is...unpredictable. He might listen, I suppose it depends on what you have to say. Even if you can convince him that Niles started it, he might not care. What would you say to him, if you could?"

Val and Naras (Ixitxachitl Lair/Sardonx 12th, 1 PM)
Val forcefeeds the healing potion to Naras, setting the mouth of the bladder in the dwarf's mouth, then squeezing so the liquid is forced down her throat. She wakes up, coughing and sputtering as a result. However, that was the last of the potion; the bladder is empty now.

(Naras is restored to 1 HP.)

[HorizonsDream]

"I actually hadn't thought that far," Jocelyn admits with a sigh. "But I guess I would try to explain that everything that I have ever done has been for survival. I joined the Poisoned Curse for survival. Part of the reason why I hooked up with Ethan was partly for survival," she says. She clears her throat a bit as she shifts on her feet a little bit. She didn't much want to talk to Ethan too much. "If I hadn't been accused of killing him, I would have been more than willing to help find who did kill him," she added. "Though, as my life was in danger, my first thought went to survival. Joining the priesthood was, in the beginning, for survival. As for his nephew, I honestly had no idea who he was. My first instinct was survival again. Everything was for survival, just as standing here now is for survival. I want to live. I'm running from my past right now, and I much rather live in the present."

[JadedDM]

Jocelyn, Ouragana, Baeros, Gallath and Drav (Alley behind Temple of Renos/Sardonx 15th, 11 PM)
"Poor dear," Sable remarks. "There's more to life than just survival, though. Although I imagine if that's all you care about, if you turn yourself into Scourge and beg him to enslave you, he probably would. I daresay it wouldn't be a very pleasant life, though."

[HorizonsDream]

"How exactly can I experience the more in life if I'm enslaved, or in this case, being hunted?" Jocelyn asks. "There has to be another way."

[Nuke]

Val says "If we take any more wounds, we die. What you wanna do?"

[Chris1234]

"Thank you, Val," Naras replied, shaking her head as she stands up. "Well, frankly it's unbelievable that I asked you to help me attack the netted creature whilst ignoring, for two whole minutes, one that was trying to kill me. It's utterly incomprehensible; but I have heard of a Confusion spell."
The dwarf picks up her spear. Unexpectedly she gives Val a hug, "Thank you, Val. You should return to your your friend, 'Mist', I think it was. I need to try and rescue my friend in here. But first a quick look around this dead end." She starts to look around the area on the off cahnce of anything useful.

After looking round the area, she smiles grimly and holds up up a hand,"I know, I know. We do what we must rather than what makes sense."

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{OOC: So Naras has now lost her remaining Command & Dispel Magic, correct?}

[BishGada]

"She ruined your village?" Baeros looks surprised at the woman, then at Gallath again. "How? She started a fire?"

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(OOC: Did Gallath told us/Baeros about the demon before? If so Baeros will ask the half demon (forgot her name) if she can sense anything demonic at Sable)