Kairon's Journal: Entry #3

Written by Brice

After the incident at the church, our group of Brimstone, Samaya (think I’m getting it right now), and myself took a moment to ponder our next course of action. Samuel must have slipped off somewhere while we weren’t looking, but as with the case during the haunted well, we failed to regard his misplacement. We decided it best to postpone our trip to the general store in order to ensure the safety of the newly dead fellow’s uncle, who I believe is called Liam. We made haste to his jewelry shop and found him in one piece, undisturbed. I thought it best to break the news quickly, so I bluntly informed him of his nephew’s murder, and the others suggested to Liam that he might be in danger as well. One thing about that Liam - he has a peculiar dislike of Samaya, clearly on the grounds of Samaya’s race and blue complexion. Nevertheless, the old man had spirit and refused to leave town, insisting that he could handle the Shakers should it be necessary.

Samaya had had enough of Liam’s nonsense and disengaged from the discussion, walking toward the door, when suddenly a broken bottle crashed through the window and burst into flames. Our heads swivelled towards the window at the sound of the breaking, but before we could respond a dozen more bottles came flying in as well, and we all found ourselves separated from Samaya. In the sudden onset of action, my first response was to fight back, so I dashed through the fire unafraid, singing myself only barely, and spotted a group of men in cloaks scattering away from the scene. Just as I was about to give chase, I heard Brimstone calling from behind the fire, bidding me to lift Liam and himself above my head so that I could carry them over the flames. With a sigh, I stopped in my tracks and turned on my heels, exiting the fire once more and standing amidst the two short men.

I kneeled and attempted to lift Liam first, thinking the task simple enough, but I grossly overestimated my strength. I failed to raise him at all, and I was shamefully reminded that my strength is not as great as it once had been. If I couldn’t lift this gnome, there was no point in attempting to raise Brimstone above my head. Instead, we would have to find another way out. I inquired Liam about possible alternatives, and he informed us of a small opening in the room downstairs which would lead to an alley. From the corner of my eye, I spotted Brimstone attempting to recover something from a jewelry case before the flames swallowed it, but he failed to reach the object in time. With that, we all hurried downstairs to the small room below the shop. I first noticed a bookshelf, and as an avid reader I thought it would be shameful to let all the knowledge go to waste, so I quickly plucked a book from the shelves which contained instructions for the use of herbs in medicine. A lucky find, I’d say, since I am fairly skilled in medicines and already possessed an herbalism kit.

Meanwhile, Brimstone was kneeled beneath the aforementioned opening and allowed Liam to escape into the alleyway outside. I repeated the process for Brimstone but knew that I was too large to use the same method of escape. Alas, members of my race can take a burn our two. Through the fire and the flames it would be, once more. I tucked my new book away to protect it as best I could and made my way back upstairs, sprinting through the flames. As I neared the door, I flung it open with my cantrip magic so as to avoid burning my hand, and I emerged outside next to Samaya. Without sparing a moment, I began treating my wounds, and then Samaya and I walked about the shops until reuniting with Brimstone and Liam, at which point we were finally able to convince Liam to leave town until we sorted out the Shakers’ dilema. Brimstone pointed out a few markings he had found while waiting for Samaya and me, and we noted that these must serve as a special code for thieves.

At last, we headed for the general store to equip ourselves properly so as to take on the Shakers. After all we’d seen, their days were numbered. Brimstone and Samaya wandered the aisles, picking out their own items, while I stumbled upon a simple quarterstaff which I took a quick liking to as well as a bucket of “lawn darts”, varying in bright colors. We all made our purchases and left the store feeling a bit stronger, a bit more ready. We took a rest and resolved ourselves to our mission: eliminate the nuisance which was the Shakers. Feeling primed and righteous, we navigated our map until we reached an entrance to their hideout - a sewer grate. We pushed it aside and descended into the dark sewers, wits sharp and weapons ready.