THEChanger's Curse of the Crimson Throne: Edge of Anarchy

[The_Shaman]

(( Pasting the rolls with the right format))

Spoiler: actions

Show

Free - RAGE!
5 foot step to get in close to Giggles
Move - intimidate w.effortless intimidation. (1D20+7)[8]
Standard-attack w power attack
Attack (1D20+6)[12] +2 if Carla can get a flank.
Damage: (1D10+12)[16]

[aberratio ictus]

Lady Selancourte

She had given him a non-existant smile in return. That wasn't very reassuring. Also, it was a bit off-putting how Gavin reverted to grunts and slurred speech when he didn't concentrate.

Lady Selancourte entered the room with the others directly after Gavin, and remained in the doorframe with the dog.

What she saw... well, it was a mundane crocodile. The other, however, wasn't natural. There had to be magic involved; an uncommon kind.

Spoiler: Perception Roll

Show

(1d20+1)[17]

To her great irritation, the lessons about the theory of spellcraft in her childhood seemed too far away to make any sense of it.

She stood, and watched the others fighting a desperate fight against a magically empowered... Giggles, was it? Also, a crocodile.

Now, Vestis herself, well... she could draw her as of yet untouched rapier, and enter the fray, however...

She thought back to Cheliax, before she had begun her career in earnest, when she and her friends would partake in Knightspotting, a most noble pastime for any noble girl.

The hellknights had always liked it when Vestis recited from plays while they trained, and it did seem to have an inspirational effect - she shortly considered singing, but the acoustics in this place were doubtlessly abysmal.

"Knights!" she raised her voice, launching spontaneously into Knight-Captain Perkeney's battle speech from "The Emerald Rose", a play about heroic hellknights rescuing shivering nobles from the clutches of repugnant Galtan revolutionaries.
"I cannot count the times you have stood by my side,
firm, loyal, and fearless, fighting many an honourable fight!
I am ashamed, ashamed, I say! To ask of you, brothers, this sacrifice,
to soil your swords with unworthy blood, the blood of Galtan rabble,
but, alas, I tried! But a more noble foe could here not be found,
as to this stain on the face of the world we are bound."

Spoiler: Inspire Courage

Show

I know I don't have to roll, but Vestis is a professional, after all. (1d20+9)[11]
You guys receive a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and more importantly a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls.

[THEChanger]

In many ways, it is a shame. The Varisian Crocodile, an endangered species, is often captured by poachers hoping to sell them as exotic pets to the less scrupulous members of Korvosan and Chelish society. Favored for their soft hides and less violent disposition, the Varisian Crocodile is never the less not meant for captivity, and frequently owners of such magnificent creature neglect to provide the staggering amount of food they require. This leads the desperate creatures to become more and more vicious, to either the concern of the ignorant who thought they were purchasing a docile pet, or the delight of the cruel who could care less. Gobblegut, in particular, was trapped within a space far too small for his large frame, and was in the process of wasting away from hunger when he was shaken from his slumber by magical energies which he could not possibly understand.

The noble creature did not even manage to secure a final meal before being cut down by ruthless adventurers. Such is the suffering of nature caused by unchecked civilization.

Moralizing aside, Avrin and Carla find Giggles to be annoyingly difficult to hit. She moves ever so slightly faster than she used to, blades clanging off her chainmail armor. Laughing, she draws strength into herself once again, her fists engulfed in the strange black glow, as everyone in the room can feel the slight tug towards the half-orc. "Oh Avrin. You are so close to the truth. You already live in the shadows. But take the next step. Embrace the Dark Prince. Join us in the true dark."

And then she punches Avrin in the face. Really hard. Dark energy crawls across Avrin's face, drawing the warmth of life from...

His illusionary copy, which promptly disappears. Giggles tilts her head, confused, locking eyes with the real Avrin. "How curious."

Round Twelve
FIGHT!

[MesiDoomstalker]

Dirkust's tensed, hunched posture relaxed slightly with the croc gone. He hurried to the door, grabbing its handle. He paused. With the croc gone and the others occupying Giggles time, he didn't need to find refuge right away. If Gaedren was in there, he was already cornered. No need to expose him (if he is even there). He eyed Avrin's wounds, deciding on his course of action. The sound of jinglebells rang out, as Avrin is coated in a fine layer of morning dew. His wounds start to stitch themselves together.

Spoiler

Show

Natural Healing on myself, redistributing to Avrin. Avrin heals 3 HP.

[digiman619]

Ardino ran into the room, doing a slight jump over the water to get into position. Once within reach, he attempts to uppercut her into the air.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Move action: Get to E5
Standard: Initiate Whirlwind Sweep. (1d20+6)[17] vs CMD. If successful, send her straight up for 10 feet and she lands prone.

[DaedalusMkV]

Avrin's eyes widen at Giggles' response. But... How could she possibly know? I'm not nearly famous enough to be recognized on sight! He recoils slightly from her attack before realizing that she's picked the wrong target and smirks in response, his unease dissolving as Ardino rushes into the fight and smashes his adversary to her back. "Yeah, I don't think so. Never been too into pain. Go say hello to your weird new god for me, though." He taunts as he thrusts his blade at her prone form, looking to finish her off once and for all, though he does take the precaution of splitting off another shadowy double, just in case Giggles manages to throw another strike his way before her inevitable demise.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

As a Swift action Avrin will change his Judgement back to Healing (hopefully I don't need the attack bonus with all these situational modifiers), Standard Action melee attack, then Move Action to activate Copycat again, just in case. Really hoping I can get that campaign damage total above 1 this turn...

Attack: (1d20+11)[20] (+2 Flank, +4 Prone, +1 Inspire)
Damage: (1d6+1)[7]

Current stats:
HP 8/10

AC18, Touch 14, FF 14
Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +6

1st Level Spells: 2/2
Copycat: 5/7
Judgement Effect: Fast Healing 1
1 Mirror Image present

HP total: Rising steadily

[The_Shaman]

The frustration was clearly written out on Carla's face, but she decided to make use Giggles´ momentary distraction. She stepped to the side so that she would come behind her greenskinned former tormentor, echoing one of Giggles´s own favourite tricks, trying her own menacing, slightly raspy voice. "Where are you looking, long-ears?

Pity about the crocodile. It could have disposed of the remains, and given us a nice Giggleguts joke in the process. Oh well

Spoiler

Show

5 Foot step
Still raging
Move action: Intimidate (1d20+8)[9]
Attack:(1d20+8)[11], if flanking an extra +2
Damage: (1d10+10)[17]

[Inspectre]

Seeing the dense cluster of people swarming around the fallen (in more ways than one) Giggles to put the half-orc down for good, and with the highly dangerous, vicious, and savage Gobblegut dead, Gavin almost allows himself to relax. It seems they had missed Gaedren Lamm though, and that was upsetting.

It takes Gavin a moment to see a pathway around the dense throng of people surrounding Giggles, but then he notices the thin walkways over Gobblegut's pit. It would be risky, but those narrow beams did offer him a - relatively - safe way to join the efforts to put the half-orc down quickly. With the savage Gobblegot dead, the consequences of slipping off those slick beams into the water below was greatly reduced, and so Gavin slipped past Mordin and lightly ran along one beam until it intersected with another crossbeam, and then followed that one towards the solid footing near Giggles again.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Move: Acrobatics across the walkway (figure I've got a better chance than Mordin at making that)
Using a Panache point to boost Acrobatics (finally get to use one!)

Acrobatics: (1d20+5)[7]
plus
Panache Bonus(1d6)[4]

Spoiler: If Panache is Six

Show

(1d6)[4]
If Above is 6: (1d6)[6]
If Above is 6: (1d6)[2]

-Assuming Gavin makes the DC 15 to make it across

Standard: (1d20+11)[29]

Spoiler: Mods

Show

+4 Dex
+1 BAB
+1 Weapon Focus
+1 Inspire
+4 Target is Prone

Damage: (1d6+5)[8]

Spoiler: Mod

Show

+4 Dex
+1 Inspire

- If Gavin fails Acrobatics -

Standard: Attempt to climb out of the pool

Climb(?): (1d20-1)[6]

Unfortunately all of Gavin's plans come to naught, and he slips off and falls into the water, flailing uselessly.

[Corlindale]

Seeing the crocodile fall, Mordin turns towards Giggles again. With the crowd surrounding her it's hard to get a good view, but eventually he sees Ardino pull off some wild maneuver that sends her flying into the air. He feels a strong urge to rush over there to get the killing blow, to see that...creature get what she deserves. A brutal, merciless execution.

Then he remembers... that might have been me, over there. Me, protecting Gaedran from invaders. Me, allying with even darker forces to fight them. Jasper, with his blade piercing my throat, delivering justice. Who am I to judge, then?

EDIT:

Mordin hesitates. His battle rage fading, he is suddenly confused. Gavin rushes past him to deliver a devastating blow. As the area around Giggles becomes crowded, Mordin decides his allies seem to be able to handle her alone.

Instead, he takes a glance around the rest of the room, checking for any hidden threats or traps that might still lurk somewhere.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Mordin holds his position next to the door and looks to the other corners in the room for any threats he might have missed while focusing on Giggles and Gobbegut.
Perception: 6 (1d20 + 4,rolled in OOC)

Round 8/10 of Sudden Speed
Round 3/10 of Legacy Weapon

[aberratio ictus]

Lady Selancourte

The banter and overall noises of battle weren't exactly beneficial to her performance. She finally drew her rapier, as if to grant herself more immersion by wielding a weapon, and watched as the fool brought Giggles down. She was very clearly still alive, though, and Vestis wasn't too sure the battle was won.

Lady Selancourte straightened herself, waving around with her rapier, and intensifying her recital of Perkeney's bitter rant about the lack of his enemies' honour, prowess, sense and bodily hygiene, only shortly interrupted by another "सावधान, सैनिक!" in Giggle's direction.
She had withstood the spell two - three? times already, but her luck had to run out eventually. Also, Vestis suspected her to be more susceptible in her current state.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Free Action to keep up the inspiration, move action to draw the rapier and standard action to try another Daze, which makes more sense than blocking access to Giggles for our more competent melee characters.

[Inspectre]

For a strange instant as he steps out onto the beam, Gavin has an intense vision of the future - he seems himself slipping, falling into the water, Mordin moving over to help him back up.
Shaking his head, Gavin deftly moves the foot he had just been about to put down onto the beam, stepping over the slick spot and managing this time not to fall down into the water.
Reaching Giggles, Gavin does not hesitate - the fallen half-orc must not be allowed an opportunity to use her newfound power again.
And she had made her choice to stand beside Gaedren and abuse children long ago.

Gavin stabs downward, putting his full weight behind the rapier's thrust, seeking to drive his weapon through Giggles' heart and through her back into the wooden planks of the warehouse floor beyond, pinning her to the floor.

(Critical cit - possible crit rolled in the previous post, and confirmed (most likely) in the OOC. Total damage: 14. Gavin recovers his spent Panache point.)

[THEChanger]

Ardino rushes in fast and low, and shoots up, uppercutting Giggles right in her jaw. She falls to the ground, a sickening crack. Avrin takes that opportunity to stab her in the shoulder. Giggles hisses in pain and fear, and makes eye contact with Vestis. As the Chelish performer weaves another spell, Vestis can feel something pulling on her magic, trying to redirect it towards Avrin. But before the spell can finish, Gavin charges across the beams and drives his rapier right through Giggles' neck. The half-orc lets out a horrible scream, and then her body goes limp. The shadows around her fade. The room goes quiet. It seems, for the moment, you are safe.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Sighing in relief, Dirkust looked around at the group. They had, to a certain degree, succeeded. Of course Gaedren had escaped but they had freed the children and tore down his lieutenants. We should search the warehouse. There maybe be clues to where Gaedren slunk off to. To punctuate his point, he opened the door of the ramshackle shack.

[digiman619]

"Good idea. I knocked Yargin out back in the first room. I think we'll have some thing to talk about with him."

[Corlindale]

Mordin walks to the place where Giggles met her fate. He studies her limp body for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. He lifts his head at Dirkust's suggestion.

"...Yes, that sounds like a good plan. I think we should still stay together, though. I know Gaedran...he is likely to have more nasty surprises hidden away in this place."

He looks back to the corpse at his feet.

"I guess we should also check her before we leave, maybe we can find some clues, or other things of use. She is certainly not going to need any of it in the Abyss..."

Mordin bows down and starts to look through her belongings. He moves carefully, in case she carries more dangerous substances.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Perception to search the body: (1d20+4)[14]

[aberratio ictus]

Lady Selancourte

"Very well done, everybody." Vestis said pleasantly, when the fight finally ended. She put the rapier back to her side, and gingerly wandered over to the others. The feeling she had had just now, when Giggles had looked at her, that the half-orc had pulled at her magic spell... it had been most unsettling. She had never heard of anything like that before.
However, that was a thought for later.

"One step after the other, I'd propose. Let us look at Lamm's quarters first, before we go back upstairs." She wasn't too hopeful, but maybe Lamm had a book with transactions, and maybe he had written down something that could lead her to Acele's captor.

[Inspectre]

(Taking a few descriptive liberties with Giggles' body - please correct me if I'm wrong or have gone too far!)

Gavin's frantic full-body thrust at Giggles misses her heart, but still finds its target in her throat.
Breathing a sigh of relief that her rampage has come to an end, Gavin attempts to pull his rapier out and finds it is lodged in the half-orc's throat.
He has to resort to putting his foot on Giggle's stomach in order to get enough leverage to pull the blade out, and when it is finally free it does so with a squelching noise.
The first foot of the blade was now coated in some sort of black liquid - perhaps the remnants of the goo Giggles had downed that was still in her throat, or perhaps it was what passed for her blood now.
Gavin frantically cleans his blade with a scrap of cloth, and then discards the cloth with a grimace of revulsion.

Gavin makes room for Mordin to conduct his search, while he kneels down beside the half-orc.
Her eyes were still open wide and her lips pulled back in a grimace or perhaps some sort of maniacal grin.
Gavin reaches over and closes her eyes with a shudder at the thought of whatever the half-orc had seen - and perhaps was now seeing in the afterlife.

Pharsma give you a speedy and safe journey to wherever you are destined.

Gavin prays silently, and then looks over at Avrin.

"Avrin - you seemed to have some idea what she was shouting about while we fought. Do you have any idea what she was talking about?"

[The_Shaman]

And stay down, you twisted bitch, Carla mutters with a curved smile when she sees the half-orc fall, before coming in close to check if Giggles is actually dead or just knocked out. She is not taking a chance with that one. "Good job, people, and damned if that wasn't a good stab. Yes, we can check her out, I'd say dump the body for the fish to feed on. It's a better fate than she deserves, but hey," she shrugs. "One other thing, if we find something that belonged to Gaedren, I could try tracking him with it. Eslivar isn't much of a bloodhound, so the chance isn't great, but it's there." At least the dog was smart enough not to want to come here, she thinks.

It takes a few moments for her to realize that she doesn't know what to feel. Seeing Giggles and some of the others busted up felt good, no denying that,and it definitely hurt Lamm, but she wants him dead or worse, not just hurt. She had waited for so long and she wanted her victory to be complete. Ah well, she would have to be patient. Fates willing, she could repay Gaedren with a lot more trouble before the old wretch left this world. Plus, this group has some potential, weirdoes as some of them are.

After confirming that Giggles has indeed expired - or, if she isn't, that she will very certainly do so in the near future - she checks out the rest of the room, silently keeping an ear on the conversation. Some of the stuff that Giggles had mentioned was pretty crazy, but maybe it did have a meaning.

[DaedalusMkV]

Avrin takes a deep breath as Giggles falls, relaxing slightly, but only stands up and sheathes his sword after a few seconds of calm. With a sigh he looks down at her, wondering how she knew what she did. Was it a result of whatever strange power she gained from the Shudder, or was Lamm's crew somehow able to learn what happened to him after his supposed death? Or perhaps she simply knew him from his relatively minor criminal reputation, rather than making any connection to the child she knew before?

... But nobody had used his name in her presence prior to that point. He frowns, troubled, when Gavin's question shakes him out of his deliberations and he turns to look at the rest of the group. "Oh. Kind of? All that stuff about suffering and darkness tied into prayer, it's classic Zon-Kuthon. Those weird tattoo-markings too, with the chain imagery on her, the whole thing reeked of it, really, and she confirmed it with her response. I... Wonder if somehow Shudder is tied to the God of Pain somehow? None of what she was doing after she took that drug was anything like what I'd expect Gena Giggles to do or say..." He trails off for a moment, considering. "If it is, the stuff is worse than I thought. Kuthites are unpredictable, driven by pain and madness more than any sort of logic. The only thing they like more than hurting others is hurting themselves. If there's a drug that can turn people into Kuthite puppets, well, it's not going to end well for anyone." An understatement. While Zon-Kuthon's rabble can usually be trusted to mostly lurk around torturing each other and the occasional stray dog, when they get around to doing anything major it almost always ends in pain and death for a great many people, and they rarely discriminate.

Once he's finished with his explanation, he begins heading towards the door in the back. "Regardless, that's a problem for later. For now, I agree with Her Highness. The longer we delay, the more time Lamm has to get away. Hopefully there's a clue here as to where he would have gone."

[aberratio ictus]

Lady Selancourte

Zon-Kuthon. Interesting. She, too, had noticed the swirling black chains around Giggle's neck - she took a mental note to write a letter to Korvosa's church of Asmodeus. It was quite possible that they already knew, about the Kuthites as well as about a possible relation to Shudder, but it was better to be safe than sorry, and there was nobody who could be trusted more to adequately deal with the situation than Asmodeus' faithful.

Avrin, as she noted in passing, was quite an expert. A man of many talents, indeed.
"Personally, I wouldn't vehemently object to them hurting themselves, really." she remarked, with a slight smile.
Still, it was worrying, Avrin was right in that.

[THEChanger]

The group begins to do a search of the room. Mordin starts riffling through Giggles' belongings, and catalogs the following.

• One suit of Chainmail
• One Composite Longbow, with a Strength Rating of +3
• One Flail
• Twenty Arrows
• Three Vials filled with a red liquid
• Seventy Two Gold Pieces

Carla and Gavin searched the room. Aside from the large hole where a now slowly sinking crocodile corpse now sits, the only thing that catches their eyes are the three tables behind Giggles. Two of the tables are loaded with mostly junk - a more thorough search might reveal something of value, but both are suspicious it's just scrap the Lambs have collected. Far more interesting is the chest on the center table. It is open, and the inside is covered in velvet. Seven vials filled with a black liquid sit within, placed very carefully in the soft cloth. There is a depression where an eighth vial must have once resided - presumably, the vial Giggles drank before her transformation. Each vial is filled with a swirling black liquid, occasionally crackling with a dark blue energy. Every so often, the vials shake and rattle, as though trying to escape.

Dirkust opens the door, slowly, and has to keep himself from vomiting. The room smells truly awful, and clearly has not been cleaned in some time. It appears to be a combination bedroom and study - a wooden bed with a lumpy mattress is shoved up against the east wall, and next to it is a table covered in loose paper, dirty plates, stained goblets, and fruit rinds. A few cockroaches skitter out of the room as Dirkust looks in. A dresser stands opposite the bed, drawers open and empty. On top of the dresser is a hatbox, with a small cloud of flies swarming around it. At the foot of the bed is a strongbox, with a slightly rusted lock securing it. As he looks in, Dirkust briefly hears whispers - too far off to make out what is said.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Dirkust dry heaved, thankful he hadn't had more than that bread to eat for... at least a few weeks. He steadied himself, wrapping his scarf over his nose before moving into the room proper. He strained his ears, trying to piece out what he heard on the edge of his senses.

Spoiler: Perception

Show

(1d20+8)[21]

Spoiler: If the Perception fails to provide useful info

Show

He grimaced. Unfortunate, but unavoidable. He examined the table, nudging trash around with the tip of his dagger, seeing if anything of use was there. Then, he gingerly popped opened the hatbox fully expecting a decomposing head to reside within. Avrin, I've got a locked chest in here. Do you think you can get it open? Mind the stench.

[THEChanger]

As Dirkust reaches for the hatbox, the whispers he hears grow louder and louder until they coalesce into a single loud voice. A voice Dirkust recognizes, and the whole group can hear ringing from the room he just entered.

Zellara's voice.

"DIRKUST NO!"

It's loud enough to spook the healer, knocking the hatbox to the ground. Two things fall out. The first, staying close to Dirkust's feet, is an ornate wooden box, marked with runes and familiar pictures from Harrow cards.

The second, vaguely round and bloody, rolls and bounces to rest just outside the door to Gaedren's quarters. Zellara's head, the eyes and mouth sewn shut, a couple of flies still clinging to the skin.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Dirkust pushed himself into a corner, scrambling to distance himself from the disembodied head. He dry heaved twice, before losing what little was actually in his stomach. Breathing in short, raspy breaths he pulled himself back to his feet. He clutched his chest, an action he didn't have an explanation for. Timidly, he grabbed the ornate box from the floor and sprinted out of the room, hopping over the head. He turned to the others, clutching the box and a look of confusion and horror on his face. Zellara! She's... she's dead!

[digiman619]

Ardino's mind reeled from the sudden revelation. "Well, that explains why she didn't take the Harrow cards back." he says after a moment. "I'm heading upstairs to see if I can't get something out of Yagrin."

[DaedalusMkV]

Avrin heads into the room at Dirkust's request, gagging slightly at the stench. It's far from the first time he's smelled old death, but it's a smell you never quite get used to nonetheless. He's barely inside when Dirkust opens the box, and his eyes widen slightly as Zellara's fate is revealed before he shrugs slightly. "Huh. Makes sense, I guess." He says quietly, putting this revelation together with the oddities he'd noted surrounding Zellara. He calls out to the rest of the group as he sets to work on the locked chest, pulling his tools from his belt. "Don't forget to gather anything that looks like it might be magical together so we can figure out what it does... Uh, assuming there's anyone here who knows much about magical items."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Rolling Disable Device. Avrin will use Guidance before the first attempt and Take 10 for an 18. Should that fail, we get to rolling.

(1d20+7)[16]
(1d20+7)[26]
(1d20+7)[18]
(1d20+7)[25]
(1d20+7)[17]
(1d20+7)[25]
(1d20+7)[24]
(1d20+7)[23]
(1d20+7)[22]
(1d20+7)[16]
(1d20+7)[26]
(1d20+7)[12]
(1d20+7)[24]
(1d20+7)[27]
(1d20+7)[24]

(Let's see how many, if any, of these matter at all?

[aberratio ictus]

Lady Selancourte

She had planned on joining Dirkust in the seperated room, but the stench made her reconsider and take a few quick steps back.
When the news of Zellara's supposed death came out, Vestis froze. Family resemblance? A twin sister? That would be a more likely explanation. On the other hand, there had been some oddities surrounding their meeting with Zellara.
In passing, she gave Dirkust a sympathetic look. He seemed truly horrified.

"It would be highly appreciated if you didn't kill him yet. I have some questions of my own." she told Ardino as he left.

"I know how to find them, at the very least." she calmly stated in response to Avrin's words, leisurely walking over to the chest with the seven vials, closing it, and carefully putting it away to the side. Considering the weird properties of the black liquid, she'd rather not have the chest in her sight.

She faced the seperated room, the ornate lockbox, and the tables with scrap, and began whispering another spell. "वस्तुओं अपनी जादुई रहस्य का पता चलता है."

Spoiler: Casting

Show

Casting Dectect Magic towards the tables with scrap, the ornate box, and that little smelly room, preferably with Giggle's body in my back, holding three rounds so I can see the strength and location of the magical auras, if there are any.

[Corlindale]

Mordin goes through Giggles' belongings and grabs whatever seems useful, but raises his head in alarm as Dirkust cries out. He looks at the disembodied head in horror, wondering how it came to be here - and where their mission really originated. He calms down relatively quickly, however. A month ago I would have been more shocked than this... now the dead seem to be a greater part of my existence than the living.

He turns to the others and speaks:

"Well...this is disturbing, to say the least. Did Zellara's...ghost send us here? Or is this some new kind of trickery?

It seems wise to get some words out of Yagrin, if the Lambs didn't tear him apart. Assuming the box contains the Harrow deck," he points to Avrin fiddling with the lock, "we should bring it back to Zellara's when we are done here. It will be interesting to see who...or what...might greet us then."

[Inspectre]

Gavin blinks in shock at the sight of Zellara's severed head lying on the floor.
Was it possible that Gaedren had gotten wind of their group somehow, considering that he was gone, and had Zellara killed for it?
No . . . the head didn't look like it had just been cut off - surely there would be a lot more blood and less flies if the head had been put in the box mere minutes ago.
But if not that, what was the more logical explanation considering Gaedren was gone and Zellara was apparently dead but had met them all mere hours ago?

"Our situation seems to keep getting more and more weird. We need to gather up whatever leads and valuables we can from here, interrogate Yargin, and then get out of here.
We clearly aren't going to find Gaedren or many answers here. I'll go get Yargin with Ardino - we should check that recently constructed upper room that Yargin came out of as well."

[The_Shaman]

Carla rummages a bit longer around the table, trying to spot something of value. She trusts Dirkust to check the bedroom, but the stench that comes from inside as he opens the door assaults her senses and in a weird twist piques her curiosity. "Callistria´s ire, what smells so bad," she exclaims with a grimace, and looks inside. She has a pretty low opinion for Lamm in any respect not related to low cunning - and this includes personal hygiene - but this goes way, way beyond bad habits. The tables are not going anyway - there are probably enough trinkets to pay for a round of beer for everyone involved, which is good enough in her book. As for the potions, well, she knows a gnome who might know more about what is inside them, and Giggles´gloves could be valuable to the right buyer... or to the wrong one, and knowing who is who might be tricky. She takes a bottle for herself and goes to see what Dirkust's apparently trying not to lose a dinner over.

She joins the small room and covers her mouth with her left hand. It had been a while since she had felt such nausea and did not expect to have such a reaction, but it is there nonetheless. "Good grief. Is that... How did that end here? Some weird effigy or **** like that?" The stench leaves no doubt that it is flesh, but she is pretty sure Zellara had a head the last time they saw here... and this does not seem very fresh. "Whoever that was, it will get a proper burial."

She'd be much obliged if someone else would have to carry the thing, but she's used to doing her dirty work herself and starts looking for a bag. The box is something she'd rather not carry around.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Appraise (untrained) for a brief check of the trinkets: (1d20+2)[20]