What Big Eyes You Have

The trip to the land owned by one Joel Maver is not the most pleasant of trips. It rains for most of the journey. Not a terribly heavy rain, but enough to slip around the cracks and crevases of conventional means of keeping oneself warm and make things generally miserable. Joel's land is out on the edge of anything remotely relating to civilization, and it is quite a large piece of property considering that it belongs to only one man.

The dry earth gobbles up the rain hungrily and where it can't drink in the moisture fast enough it lays in puddles on the ground. Eventually, after several hours of hunting his property for a house, you locate one. A smallish affair that looks to have seen better days. It's the sort of house that's been quickly built and by someone who cares more about having a roof over their head than aesthetics. There's no immediate sign that there's anyone home at the moment, and with night completely fallen... There are few options this far out about where to stay.

Trail snacks lose a lot of their luster when they get all soggy. That is the chief worry on Magpie's mind as the gloom darkens yet further, seriously. Waxed cloth can only do so much to keep a really determined rain out, after all...

"...I'm just saying," she grouses as they quarter the property, "if you're going to take the time to check out a book, *it is not okay* to sign it out under 'Buttfor Poupin, Esq.' And that was the only other thing this Kinkade jerk wrote! So sorry, but... no reports, Dolan."

"Damn." Dolan himself is equally grumpy, and more than a little wet despite the adventurer's gear he wears and carries, the hood too sodden to do its job at this point. He shakes his head, spraying a small spray of water from the ends of his brown hair, having given up on said hood about an hour ago. "Well, it's getting late. Damn." Dolan himself is equally grumpy he shakes his head, spraying a small spray of water from the ends of his brown hair. "Maybe this guy will at least find us a dry corner to sleep in if we mention Lord Shik."

"Let's hope!" Magpie chirps, though even her chipper mood is taking as much of a beating as her provisions. "Worst comes to worst, we use your cloak as a pavilion, I've already got stew half-made in my pocket. Just needs heat! And a pot, obviously."

As they come upon the house, the gnome tilts her head, pursing her lips at the tininess of the house... relatively speaking, at least. "So... you wanna hello the house, or should I?"

Auranar is not at best pleased. Having dressed up for the trip rather in her adventurer's gear, she's even more sodden than her companions. Which is saying something. She glances skyward often, as if that might stop the rain from falling. Which it doesn't. "I'll say it." She grumbles, stepping forward and knocking briskly on the door. "HELLO! We were sent by Lord Shik! Anyone home?"

There's no answer from inside for a long moment, then a deep cough and, "Come in!" A strained voice, the sound of someone with a cold.

Dolan doesn't need to be told twice. He reaches for the door handle and opens it nearly at once, although he does at the last moment seem to remember his manners and hold it for the two ladies to go first. "Brightest of days," he greets the interior of the house politely. "Thank you. It's a bit wet out there."

• squish* *squish* *squish* *squish*

"Thaaaaanks, Dolan," Magpie says as she passes the inquisitor, squelching her way into the house. Briefly, she seems about ready to wring out her sleeves where she stands, but then visibly catches herself, realizing how rude that'd be in someone else's home. "Sorry to bother you ser, but it's, like, *really* important and are you okay? Sounds like you came down with a bout of somethings."

Auranar nods politely to Dolan and heads into the house with a quick and assessing glance around. She doesn't add to the other's words at the moment, but rather keeps an eye out for the owner of the home.

The home obviously belongs to a hunter. Pelts of various animals hang off the back of the chairs and one smallish couch. There's no sign of the owner of this place however. "In the back." Coughing follows the words and walking toward the sound of the voice it's not difficult to locate the man at last. He's curled up on the bed amid a bundle of furs to keep himself warm. He looks sweaty and vaguely displeased to see you. "Under the weather."

He grumbles the words and shifts a bit to look at you. "What do you want?"

GAME: Dolan rolls perception: (2)+12: 14
GAME: Auranar rolls perception: (3)+5: 8
GAME: Magpie rolls perception: (11)+7: 18
GAME: Dolan rolls heal: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL)

"Damn. Knew I should have asked Andie to come with us." Dolan trails the other two into the room, and immediately heads for the bedside, sitting down on the edge of it. "Lord Shik sent us to talk to you - I suppose that you would know him as Ryon?" He studies the sweaty face of the man, clearly seriously concerned. "Does the name Jal'goroth mean anything to you?"

Magpie opens her mouth to follow up, then stops, head cocked, apparently listening to a sound even smaller than she. Thus, the conversation falls away as she crouches in place, peering beneath the bed without approaching closer.

It would, after all, be *seriously* rude to dive under one's sickbed without permission. "Hey Auranar," she murmurs, trying to let the menfolk speak in peace, "hear that...?"

Auranar looks at the sick man with sympathy and then is distracted from his conversation with Dolan by Magpie's question. "What?" Clearly she'd heard no evil. She tilts her head and then shakes it. "I don't hear anything." She keeps her voice low just in case.

"What are you doing?" The man asks Dolan. "Don't sit on my-" He sighs and glares at Dolan for being so close. His eyes flicker to Magpie. "And leave my dog alone. He doesn't like strangers."

He shakes his head and frowns. "Ryon is a stuffed shirt no-good loser who abandons his friends the moment that he finds a cute piece to settle down with. I don't owe him - or you - nothing."

"He was concerned about you." Dolan stands, at the clear indication, but stands his ground, not moving from beside the bed. "He said the two of you had done some adventuring."

"Hey okay," Magpie says, raising her hands at the admonishment. "Sorry, Puppers. Didn't mean to scare you." And with that, she gets back to her feet, puzzlement evident on her face. Why would a hunting dog be so afraid of people...?

"He really was worried," she says, clearing her throat and addressing the figure lying *on* the bed.

Auranar blinks at the news that there's a dog under the bed, and automatically starts to bend down, making little calming noises in the back of her throat. "Here's a good doggy. We won't hurt you." Trying to coax the animal out into the open. She offers the man on the bed a slight smile. "What kind of dog is he?"

"Really?" The man seems slightly surprised. "I didn't know he still cared." He seems to mull things over and coughs a few more times before getting his breathing under control. "We did adventure together, but that was a long time ago."

He waves a hand at Auranar. "Leave off would ya? He's a huntin' dog. Good with other animals, but terrible with people. What do you guys really want aye? You didn't come all this way just to remind me of old times."

Dolan's stare down at the man includes his full face, and his full focus, an unyielding gaze. "He does. He thought of you when the devil you angered killed his child and raised it as an undead to nearly kill him. He wanted to make sure you didn't find a similar fate."

"V's general," Magpie supplies, patting Auranar's shoulder. Where Dolan's regard is unrelenting and steady, Magpie's countenance is that of someone seeing a dear friend for the first time in forever. Apparently she's taking on the role of Nice Guard. "It had to do with the thing Lord Shik took, and he said you'd taken one too. Hence, the worry."

It's hard for Auranar to hide the disappointment on her features, but she sighs and rises to her feet. "If you still have it, you're in danger too. We came to warn you." She soothes her skirts down with her palms, feeling uncomfortable. She looks from Dolan to Magpie and back again for direction.

There's a low whine from under the bed, and a soft thump. The man on the bed seems to lose the expression on his features. "I..." He trails off and looks from Dolan to the two women with him. "I don't have anything from back in those days. Sold everything off to pay for my retirement after Ryon... abandoned the gig." He sighs and looks at Dolan. "I don't mean to be so harsh, but it's been a long time for old wounds to fester between the two of us."

GAME: Magpie rolls sense motive: (5)+2: 7
GAME: Auranar rolls Sense Motive: (2)+3: 5
GAME: Dolan rolls sense motive: (17)+15: 32

"A long time, indeed." Dolan looks down at the man on the bed, suddenly frowning. "Yeah. Old stuff can pop back up when you least expect it." He reaches for the dragon hanging from around his neck, bows his head for a moment, and looks up again. "Fuck," he swears suddenly, turning away. "Sorry. My eye's gone fey on me. Give me a minute." He blinks his flesh eye rapidly, like one trying to clear something.

"It happens sometimes," Magpie says to Joel, all helpfulness and sweet. "Student enchantments, y'know... great for teaching how to lay magic into a thing, even better for the purse strings, but they always go a little wild now and again."

"Anyway, I know it's a long shot, but d'you remember who you sold the statue too? Cos if you don't have it, that means it might be someone else's in for it, and the sooner we know the sooner we can make sure they don't, like, die?"

Auranar glances at Dolan, concern lighting in her dark eyes. "You okay Dolan?" She steps a bit closer to the man. She's not sure how she can help (she's no healer), but she hates to see her friend being... What's wrong with his eye anyways? Why now?

GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+8: (10)+8: 18

The man watches Dolan turn away and rolls off the bed. Like lightning he's on his feet, punching Auranar full in the face and grabbing her. "I take it that you're one of those that can see the evil in a soul?" The man states a little irately, pulling the smaller woman close to his body one arm wrapped around her neck. "Think it's time for me to go then. Everyone just calmly stay where you are and nobody has to get hurt... anymore."

Auranar goes limp in the man's arms, her nose bleeding heavily and her eyes rolled back in her head. She isn't used to being attacked directly, and her body not that of a heavily muscular fighter who might be able to withstand such an attack more easily.

GAME: Magpie casts Color Spray. Caster Level: 3 DC: 16
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+4: (14)+4: 18
GAME: Dolan rolls 1d20+8: (1)+8: 9 (EPIC FAIL)

• Something* was definitely hinky. Magpie felt it in her hollow leg, where all her most dependable feelings are centered.

Punching Auranar in the face was *definitely a surprise though, and it's not until *after* the 'sick' man takes his hostage and does his monologue, that Magpie has the wit to act.

• Now* she wrings off her sleeves?! Not... quite... her hands are surrounded with twisting runic circles, as she runs her hands down her sleeves as if wringing out a cloth... but it's the *color* of her motley that wrings off into her hands, and once she's gained a double-handful of blue, white, red and black light, she cups her hands together, and *crushes* the ball as she looses a pair of unintelligible syllables.

All the color harvested from her clothes lances outward, covering the hostage and her taker in riotous, dazzling color.

To no good effect, sadly. But with the spell's release, her sleeves are back to normal at least.

GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+8: (14)+8: 22

"Why you little shit." Dolan whirls back around, too fast for there to be anything truly wrong with the eye, and _lunges_ at the fake man, leading with a balled fist. Unfortunately, avoiding hitting the already bleeding Auranar means attention to things other than his footwork, and he stumbles, his clumsy slung going well wide as he tries to keep his balance.

The man seems to realize that he's a bit outmatched here, so he quickly counts his ducks and throws Auranar bodily at Dolan. The elvish woman sort of flops across the intervening space and makes things a little more complicated for the one-eyed man. Whilst he is dealing with the unconscious Auranar the man starts to make good his escape into the main body of the house.

GAME: Magpie rolls perception: (20)+7: 27
GAME: Magpie casts Grease. Caster Level: 3 DC: 15
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+6: (7)+6: 13

"NO YOU DON'T."

Magpie claws mana from the air, forming a green-and-dun-colored ball of oily.... something... in her hands, and hurls it into the room beyond, just past 'Joel's' feet. The ball splashes into a wide slick of greasy, conjured sludge, sending the impostor's feet right out from under him.

"YOU'RE IN TIME OUT, NOW."

"Agh!" Dolan scrambles to catch the unconscious Auranar and keep her from falling, but at once, lays her gently down on the floor of the room. The leather harness holding his sword to his sodden back follows closely behind, and he strides over to the prone man. "You're going noplace, you wicked son of a bitch. Give my regards to Jal'goroth."

GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+6: (3)+6: 9
GAME: Dolan rolls weapon1: (15)+9: 24
GAME: Dolan rolls 2d6+5: (10)+5: 15

The man who is obviously not at this point Joel, tries to rise to his feet, but Dolan takes the chance to stab him with his sword and the man disintegrates into a pile of ash that evaporates.

Auranar meanwhile, rouses a bit, blinking her eyes and rubbing her face where she was struck and slowly rolling to her feet. She looks nothing so much as embarrassed. "Did he take me hostage?" She's clearly offended by the idea.

"Briefly," Magpie confirms, giving Auranar a crooked grin and sticking her hand out to help her up. Hey, sometimes a low center of balance is good for something, right?

...Better brace against the bed just in case...

"So if that wasn't Joel...?"

"Ask the dog," Dolan answers curtly, brushing out the ash amid the conjured grease with the toe of his boot. "That dog was terrified, and for a damned good reason. Little shit. Hate those things," he snarls. When Auranar speaks, he turns towards her. "You all right? Looks like he broke your nose for you."

Auranar takes Magpie's hand, using her other to stem the blood coming from her nose. "I don't think it's broken but... OH! The dog!" She bends down and forgets her bloody nose instantly, and pushes the blankets back so she can get a better look under the bed. "Oh my goddess! That's not a dog! Help me with the bed!" She stands back up hurriedly and starts tugging on the bed, trying to move it.

"Oh *shit,*" Magpie says, helping Auranar as best she can... by getting out of the way so Dolan's actual arms can move the furniture.

"...Well that explains that..."

As opposed to his fake ones? No fake muscles here. "What?" Dolan sets his sword aside at once on the floor, away from the grease, and turns to stride back towards the bed. The farmboy is no stranger to heavy lifting, and with a grunt and a muttered curse, *heaves* at the end of the bed, clearly intending to tip it up and expose what lies underneath.

A bit of assistance with the bed reveals that the 'dog' under the bed is in fact Joel himself, tied up and fairly badly beaten under the bed. He is grateful for the rescue, enough to explain that he's been a prisoner in his own home for some time now. At the mercy of the thing that had taken his shape and was using some kind of mind-power to take information from his memories.

He explains further that he doesn't have one of the totems. He sold his to the mage Albus Kinkade some time ago. He's not even sure what interest the devil had in him, but he suspects nothing good. "I don't know what I'd have done if you guys hadn't come along. I owe you a great debt of gratitude."

"Honestly if it weren't for Ryon," Magpie muses, "I don't know *what* would have happened, but it wouldn't've been good. If there is any bad blood between the two of you... Maybe it's time to bury it? Aside from that, we're just glad you're safe now, and seriously I have *so many questions* for that thrice-damned wizard when we catch up to him, *please* tell us you have any idea where he might like to lurk?"

Once Joel is freed from under the bed, Dolan sets it down, and walks over to him. "Yeah. Knowing where that wizard is would be helpful. Here, hold still. I can help with those." He sets to work on the man's injuries, his prayers along with the holy symbol clearly marking his allegiance. "I've got a few dozen questions for him myself."

"Don't rightly know where he is, but I'd check that book he was always working on for clues." Joel seems relieved once his injuries are gone and rises to his feet carefully. "What was it again? Malcontent? Marvelous? Malice? Something of Infinity. I'm sure it can give you a few clues about him." Joel looks around his room. "I haven't got much space, but you guys are welcome to stay the night. Like I said; I owe you one."

-End