S22: Huther’s Way

“Click"... the doors to your individual rooms unlock in unison. As you enter the hallway you reunite with your group -- except for Mokon who wants to take full advantage of a comfortable bed. Unfortunately for Mokon, the extra sleep is short lived as Alora all but drags Mokon out to the group. Before venturing to the first floor Alora shows the group her newfound work of art -- a portable hole. Still unsure how Alora’s hole works (“ahem” go ahead Glug… have at it) they run a series of tests. First they see what happens if Nom sticks her head into Alora’s gaping hole -- it is dark, she can barely see an outline to a perfect cylindrical room. Fey takes the initiative and jumps in -- Alora watches eagerly as does the rest of the group. Fey barely touches the sides as she drops about 10 feet onto solid ground -- deeper than expected. She takes a deep breath of stale air. Looking around she can now see and feel the perfectly smooth sides of Alora’s dark hole. As Fey looks upward she can see the rest of the group starting back at her as if she was in a pit. Those not deep in Alora’s hole cannot see back into the orifice. Fey yells out -- her words muffled by the void -- words do not escape. Fey, however, can easily hear the others yelling into Alora’s large inky dot. Testing more boundaries Alora decides to clench her hold shut to see how Fey handles the added pressure. Meticulously and cautiously Alora closes her hole. To Fey the only difference is the outside view -- the inside stays the same. Alora releases the hole once more as Mokon pulls Fey out… slowly. Alora lets out a sigh… of relief. In passing, Glug mentions that he remembers reading something about bad things happening when combining extra dimensional spaces and warns Alora that maybe her mimicpack and the hole should not meet… ever.

As the faux BOP heads toward the stairs to the bar a grizzled old man greets them. They recognized him as the bartender from the night before. “Huther will see you now… come on.”

The group walks downward excited… nay… eager to meet their gracious host. Inside the bar are three ruffians and a slender woman with the telltale scar of Huther’s girls -- all four remembered from the night before. As the group approaches the bar Huther enters through a heavy steel door behind the bar. After a brief reintroduction from Huther and how he may have overreacted the previous night, he offers them his finest house ale (which is not very fine at all) and a large breakfast. The group accepts. Huther orders his barkeep to make it happen as he disappears behind the metal door. A discussion begins about how Huther can be “reimbursed” for the theft and perhaps earn back his trust. A deal is struck for the group to bring back some new merchandise for Huther as his current stock is getting… old and flabby, as it were. Mokon’s questions the true purpose of the ale trying to test it for poisons… of which he finds none. Alora similarly checks the food; it appears to be clean. The group agrees and begins to hungrily eat the meal provided.  The discussion continues as two of the party, Glug and Fey, begin to feel woozy as they topple from their chairs. Mokon and Nom, being the hulking heroes they are, fend off the drugged ale with ease. Alora had yet to drink and was thus unaffected. Annoyed Huther retrieves a concentrated vial of his special sauce forcing Nom and Mokon to drink and eventually pass out. Alora, using her best acting skills, fakes her unconscious state falling to the floor in deceit. As Alora’s friends are taken away she hears a conversation between Huther and his henchmen about bringing the group to a holding cell until “they” were ready for them. Alora is the last to go getting glimpses of an office with a desk and possible safe, a stairway going downward, a potential distillery, and finally a locked room. 

The cell is cold. Shackles hang from the walls and others are bolted to the floor. Alora stands when she believes the coast to be clear. Waking Fey first and soon after Nom, she explains what she has seen and where they believe they are. Glug however is breathing almost too shallowly and Mokon… he’s out cold and snoring deeply. Try as they might there is no waking Glug. Mokon however receives a sweet Giant ballad from Alora inspiring him awake.

With little hope for Glug (and a short disregarded conversation about lack of air over an extended amount of time)… Alora unleashes her hole once more (you all hear this as she does so.) The group tosses Glug into the 10-foot-deep pit of Alora -- they hear no thud.

Unsure how to escape their cell Alora uses one of her newly prepared spells, unseen servant, to make quick work of the external door locks allowing the group to escape. A quick search of the room finds a shelf full of alcoholic recipes, herb and fauna books, and various other ale and wine crafting tomes. The group quickly steals everything, dumping it on top of Glug as he “probably” rests soundly in Alora’s work of arse… art… her work of art. Boxes of potatoes and various vegetables line the walls. A large oaken barrel rests in the corner, upon opening the tap, the bookshelf shifts as a hidden door opens revealing a dark stone passage. Fey lets Gerald out to breath, asking him to do a little reconoscence in an adjacent room. Gerald, although being sidetracked and less-than-stealthy as he likes to talk, does a fairly competent job of relaying information of what he sees. The group pushes the large double-doors open to reveal Huther’s very own and fairly advanced beer and wine distillery. (If only Glug wasn’t stuck in Alora’s closed hole.) The room houses large barrels and vats of ale and wine as well as a large wine rack, an ingredients experimentation table, and stairs going upward of which Alora believes to be the way up to Huther’s office. Nom takes a little time to give Huther the proverbial bird by opening all the valves she can find emptying gallons of distilled liquid onto the basement floor. Nom and Mokon also pilfer a blue and red vial of liquid for the experimentation table, and Fey (knowing very little about whine) grabs the most cobweb laden bottle she can find (assuming it is the oldest and therefore the most valuable) name Huther’s Panty Remover.

As the crew continues to search and destroy, Nom hears footsteps coming toward the stairs. The group quickly runs back toward their cell, closing the large double doors, relocking their cell, going through the secret bookshelf passage. As they move they hear Huther’s servant grumble in annoyance with emptying barrels of ale and begin to make his way back up the stairs to relay this information to Huther. The party closes the secret passage with a large lever on the backside of the wall. They wait for mere seconds before deciding to move forward. As they move the sounds of battle get louder -- the telltale sounds of an arena. Nom’s blood begins to get hot in excited anticipation. As they approach they see a makeshift staircase to the left and a door straight ahead. Looking through the door they see Saram, the arena’s battlemaster, and two hulking figures battling to the death. On the opposite wall a latticework of metal protecting the crowd behind. A large blood soaked iron maiden rests against the northern wall. With a simple downward thumb and the cheers from the crowd the victor ends the life of his foe. The crowd is wild.

Choosing the safer route Fey, Nom, and Alora climb the stairs. Once atop the stoney ledge they see a velvet couch, an ornate rug, a table overflowing with fruits, vegetables, and sweets, and a brazier lighting the small room that overlooks the arena -- Huther’s balcony view of the battles. Nom quickly begins to destroy and burn everything she sees, finding  2 platinum in the process. Fey quickly grabs some fruit, and Alora tries to find an alternate way out of their current predicament -- she does not. As they proceed down the stairs they are met with a slow clap and the all too familiar voice of Huther. They turn to see Huther and the thin elven woman from the bar (Sra as she is referred to by Huther). Alora tries to bolster Sra’s bravery calling her to their aid, but is sadly met with a tug on a metal band around her neck. Another slow clap by Huther as he explains that if she doesn’t listen to him, she will literally lose her head. In a fit of rage Alora rushes Huther and is met with a shimmering wall of force knocking Alora back and giving her a significant lump on her head. Huther proceeds to persuade the group to enter the arena where they are met by Saram. The group smells the sickly sweet smell of death emanating from a large grate in the center of the room. Saram explains the “rules'' for the arena and brings in three familiar foes. The group recognizes them as the three fighters interested in Glug’s nuggets (of which Huther currently has a tight grip). 

As the inevitable battle is about to being, the three fighters begin to yell and scream as their flesh rips open and their bones begin to break, fur and blood push through their previous form as three new figures stand before you, a wolfman, a half boar half human, and an enormous rat standing upright. The three drop to the ground holding their hands in an open circle chanting “for the Order”. Pffft, the group gives nary a shit -- unaffected by the transformation. The BOP’s lack of emotion throws the three were-beasts off their A-game as they stand confused giving our heroes the sweet advantage of a surprise attack. Nom closes the distance on the wererat as Fey lets loose a blast of fire (which unfortunately misses). Alora unleashes a crown of madness refocusing the wolfman’s attention on his boarish ally. Nom lets loose a flurry of sword attacks and Mokon finishes the job with a well placed spear as the human rat luckily falls face first into the iron maiden that adorns the wall piercing his face and torso with 3 inch spikes. The werewolf lunges again and again at his tusked companion causing confusion and a sense of betrayal. Huther, also confused and very frustrated with the fight, realizes what is happening and overtly sends a few magic missiles toward Alora, breaking her concentration and turning the werewolf’s attention to her. Nom focuses her attacks on the boar slicing and dicing her foe. Mokon lets loose another spear piercing the wolfman’s hide. With a ferocity rarely seen, Fey flays the boar from tail to skull revealing the creature's spine as he drops to the ground. A frustrated Nom watches as a second kill is stolen. With each death the crowd grows even more manic. As the wolf breaks off Mokon spear in his torso, Alora closes the gap letting loose a wave of thunder causing the werewolf to stumble over his now dead wereboar ally. Nom finishes the fight removing the werewolves head from his body. The crowd goes wild. 

With each death Saram moans in sadness to his brother’s downfall, but also respect to the strength of our heroes. Saram stands and approaches the group explaining they should appease the crowd as he drags the rat and board to the center of the arena. Thumbs up they live -- thumbs down they die -- in this case if only for show (as the three werebeasts are clearly dead). A bloodlust filled Fey eagerly accepts the crowd's need for death, severing the head from an already dead wereboar. Mokon however, shirks his crowdly duties, by praying for the soul of the fallen wererat. The crowd loudly voices their disapproval.

Saram looks toward a fuming and pacing Huther. Huther waves his hand in disgust. “You are free to leave as per the rules of the arena. Even Huther can’t go against his paying constituents.” A respectful Saram leads the group outside the erupting arena. Once outside he explains that the Grimshackle is a ferocious place and we all have to find our place even if it does not align with our true natures. He then asks the group to find the Order when they are stronger, giving them a small flat ring, but for now he must honor the dead. Mokon asks if he needs help. With a strong hand he explains he must do this alone and reenters the arena.

This one will go in Alora’s annals for sure.