Kairon's Journal: Entry #2
29th of Mill, 5042
Having conquered the haunted well and retrieving the ring found therein, Brimstone, Samara, and I were met with footsteps bounding through the forest. Suddenly, a man emerged from the treeline, puffing in exhaustion. I looked upon this man curiously, but he appeared to be no threat. In fact, Brimstone and Samara instantly recognized him. They caught Samuel up to speed, and I stepped forward to introduce myself. As it turns out, Samuel is also a member of this team of adventurers and was still fast asleep at the tavern when the rest of us departed. Now that the four of us were together, we were to return to town to deliver this ring to the group’s most recent contracter, a man named Roach.
We made camp before setting out, and Samara, whose name I suspect I am misremembering, spotted a corpse laid out by a nearby tree. He found a simple necklace on the corpse, and I felt that it would suit me well. For reasons not entirely known to me, I cannot help but feel a kinship with the dead. Samara handed the item over to me and I slipped it around my neck. The pendent rested atop my bare chest, and I suspect it compliments my visage nicely. Once the camp was established, we all took our rest and then began our trek back to town.
We arrived back at the tavern without any hiccups, and Brimstone and I thought it best to speak to Roach alone. He wouldn’t recognize Brimstone, since he had been wearing a disguise the first time they met, and he certainly wouldn’t recognize me. Samara and Samuel would standby in case we came upon any trouble while attempting to elicit information or funds from Roach. Unfortunately, Roach was nowhere to be found at the tavern. All the same, Samara purchased a bottle of gin from the barkeep, and I implored my thaumaturgy in hopes of intimidating the man. I hoped he would have some rarer substance which I could use to expand my mind-state, but I had no luck in procuring any such herbs.
Samuel suddenly remembered that we were not, after all, meant to meat Roach back at this tavern. Rather, he had given the group a map by which we could locate him upon recovering the ring. I, myself, am rather keen at interpreting maps, so I led the group until we reached the market district, where we easily found Roach’s shop. Our party decided to attempt our strategy once more. Brimstone and I went inside to question Roach, who seemed to be alone, and Brimstone tried his hand at haggling. We insisted that we killed the adventurers who he had initially sent on his errand and that we would want great compensation for procuring the ring instead. Samara and Samuel waited outside, at the ready. Eventually, Roach brought Brimstone and me through a door and led us down a flight of stairs. With a flash of my cantrip, I flung the front door of the shop open to signal that Samara and Samuel were clear to enter. At the bottom of the stairs, Roach, Brimstone, and I arrived at a room filled with treasure and our haggling resumed.
Before we could finish the deal, we heard the door open once more at the top of the stairs. We turned to see two thugs on approach, so we readied ourselves for a fight. We believed that these men worked for Roach, and they were now here to give us trouble, but Roach himself had no hesitation in throwing a dagger at the first thug who came through the doorway. I, myself, backed up to the end of the room and drew darts from my pouch, but my first throw failed to make its mark. Through the combined efforts of Roach, Brimstone, and Samuel (casting his magic from the top of the stairs), the first thug was defeated. Brimstone moved up to engage the second one, who was fending off Samara in the stairwell, and I made my way to the center of the room and readied another dart. As I released it, I winced in remorse, noting that it made its mark in Brimstone instead of the thug. Nevertheless, the group finished off the second thug, and Roach explained the situation.
Roach told of the local gang, the Shakers, and how they had been attacking merchants and citizens to assert their control over the market. Roach provided a hand-drawn map of the Shaker’s hideout, and we finally settled on a price for the ring, after Roach revealed that it was meant for walking on water. Our new mission was clear: we were to infiltrate the Shaker’s hideout and put an end to their gang. But first, we would need supplies. Having finished our business with Roach, we decided to head for the general store.
On our way to shop, we passed by a church where there seemed to be quite a commotion. Using my thaumaturgy yet again, I caused the ground to tremble so that the crowd would part with ease. At the center, we saw a man hanging from a rope, who had clearly been pushed from the top of the church. I found myself filled with sudden rage and urgency, as I could not tolerate profaning of a holy establishment by such a vile crime as murder. I hurried to the top of the church, followed by Samuel, while Brimstone and Samara remained below in case the murderer attempted to flee. As Samuel and I reached the top, I spotted a man trying to dash away, scaling a ledge. I noticed quickly that the man donned the same uniform as the earlier thugs - that is, the Shaker uniform. Without hesitation, I released a dart, and at last it found its target. The thug lost his balance and crashed to the ground, dying instantly.
Samuel and I returned to the streets, where Brimstone and Samara were inspecting the thugs body. We all spoke to the priest, who informed us of the victim’s identity. Apparently, the rest of the group was familiar with a relative of this man - his uncle - who was a nearby jeweler. We decided that before shopping, we should pay the uncle a visit so as to ensure his safety. I do hope we reach his establishment in time.
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