Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General The Afflicted

Chapter 4 - The Two Merchants and the Gith Interrogation

After their encounter with the bugbear, and their looting of its body, the party made their way at last into the grove. They wound their way back to where they had parted with Zevlor, and they continued on up the main path until they came upon a Halfling vendor. As soon as the vendor saw him, he said, "Greetings, Friends! Welcome to the Hollow here at the Druid's Grove. My name is Arron. Well met!"

"Well met!" said Ryth-Shan, suddenly taking the lead. Everyone was a bit surprised by this, but Ryth-Shan was eager to learn more about what was happening in the grove. He also immediately recognized that Arron had a small shrine to Silvanus along with all of his merchandise. Since Ryth-Shan honored Silvanus, he felt an immediate connection. "Tell me, Friend, what are the troubles here at the grove?"

Arron was a rather friendly sort. He chuckled lightly at Ryth-Shan's question and said. "You would not believe it. Refugees, adventurers... no one in years, and suddenly, we're overwhelmed. Thank you for beating back those goblins, by the way. Most brave of you. Is there anything you need? Act fast if you do. The ritual will be complete before too long."

"Are you really locking down the grove?" asked Ryth-Shan.

"I know it's drastic, but more monsters seem to terrorize this region every day," said Arron.

"What about the people here?" asked Kaedyn.

"We druids will be safe," he replied. "As for those that took refuge here... well... may Silvanus guard them as they continue their travels. It is really not our concern. Is it?"

"You just said the region's overrun by monsters. They won't survive by themselves," said Kaedyn. "Is there anything you can do to persuade your First Druid to NOT do this?"

Ryth-Shan was a bit put out by Kaedyn's interference, and the cleric lost 2 relationship with him. Arron responded before he could, however. "As I said, it's a drastic measure, but the survival of the grove is paramount." The Lightfoot Halfling was no longer as jovial. He seemed to like Ryth-Shan but not Kaedyn. "There just aren't enough supplies to support everyone."

Ryth-Shan tried to smooth things over. "Understandable," he said. Then he took control of the conversation back from Kaedyn. "We're looking for a healer. Do you know of any here?"

Arron nodded. "I pray no goblin arrow has grazed you! Nettie could put you to rights. She should be with the others in the inner chambers below here, but I doubt she'll be taking on new patients. The grove will be locked down soon."

Ryth-Shan nodded. "Thanks, Friend. You've been most helpful. Tell me, what are you selling?"

Arron gestured to his supplies. "Just some bits and bobs I no longer need."

Ryth-Shan turned to everyone else. "Now's our chance to unload some of our things. Let's sell what we have and see if he has anything we could use."

Arron then added, "I'm willing to sell, but I'm not as willing to buy. I need to get rid of most of my gear before we lock the place down, so I'll only be buying things we need here at the grove. There's another merchant, a Tiefling, down the path to your left there. He's selling some better weapons and such and buying others that will better support the Tieflings here. Most aren't fighters, so I think he's looking to get rid of his more expensive gear that they can't use anyway."

"What do you say?" Ryth-Shan asked the group as he turned to face them. "Shall we take some time to buy and sell a few things?"

Everyone agreed that it was a good plan. They'd bounce back and forth between Arron and the Tiefling merchant he spoke of if they had to in order to get rid of most of their items. After a quick exchange with Arron, he bid them farewell with a blessing from Silvanus. Then they wound their way down the path on the left into the heart of the camp. After asking a few questions, they were directed to Dammon, the Tiefling Blacksmith.

"Thanks for fighting off those goblins," he said when they approached. "If you need to replace any gear, just ask. My selection's pretty slim. I had to leave most of my equipment in Elturel."

"That forge is holding on by a thread. Are you a smith?" asked Shadowheart.

"The best," said Dammon. "People came from as far as Neverwinter to buy my swords. Funny how things change when your bloodline becomes a problem. Guess I'll be starting over in Baldur's Gate. I hope people are more open-minded there."

"I wouldn't count on it," commented Astarion, but only a few near him heard it.

And with that, the group began to examine his wares as they tried to see what he was willing to buy. While they did this, Lae'zel suddenly tapped Ryth-Shan on the shoulder. When he looked at her, she gestured to a lone Tiefling not far away. Damays, the Tiefling male who had caged her, was talking to him. "The red hunter," Lae'zel hissed at him. "I bet that is Zorru. Come. While the others waste time buying and selling things, let us see what this Zorru can tell us."

Then Damays walked away, leaving Zorru alone. Ryth-Shan glanced at the others who seemed engrossed in their task anyway, and he said, "Sounds like a plan. Let them do all the boring work." Then the two slipped away and made their way to Zorru. Ryth-Shan gained 1 relationship with Lae'zel.

Zorru did not see them coming until they were almost on top of him. He was busy, it seemed, trying to calm his nerves. As soon as he saw them, he cried, "B-by Mordai's eyes, more of them! My f-friend's blood not enough? Come to rip me open too?"

Lae'zel's hot glare sent shivers down the Tiefling's spine. "In Creche K'liir, a formal greeting begins with a bow." Ryth-Shan supported her, giving the Tiefling a menacing glare. He gained another point of relationship with her.

Lae'zel made an Intimidation roll with advantage, since Ryth-Shan was assisting her. She rolled 15+1=16 and a 10. She only needed a 10, so she succeeded. With the two Gith glaring at him, Zorru began to lower himself to the ground with his hands raised. He was clearly terrified. His knees were even shaking.

Lae'zel looked down at him, her arms folded across her chest. "Lower," she commanded.

"On your knees," said Ryth-Shan with a growl. "She won't say it again." Normally, he would not have used such a tactic, but after the way he saw the Tieflings treat Lae'zel when she was in the cage, he decided her method was probably best. Besides, he found her intimidation tactics quite attractive. He gained 5 points in relationship with her, increasing to 63, for she also found him attractive as he supported her with his own aggressions.

Zorru finally fell to his knees, his head bowed in submission. This pacified Lae'zel. Roughly, she said, "You saw another Gith. Where?"

Zorru seemed about to wet himself. "On the road to Baldur's Gate, near the mountain p-pass. Saw us 'fore we s-saw it. Jammed its b-b-blade through Yul's belly, straight to the other side."

Lae'zel grunted. "No twisting? Kin must have been in a hurry." Then she produced a map of the region. Ryth-Shan didn't even know she had such a thing. "The map. Show me."
Zorru hastily examined the map and pointed to a spot beyond the road off to the west. Lae'zel then snatched it back away from him. "Up," she commanded. "Now leave us. You can keep your innards."

Zorru fled hastily. "Gods protect me!" he cried as he ran.

"You've had a map this entire time?" asked Ryth-Shan. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I confiscated the map prior to meeting you and the others, before I fell into that red hunter's trap," she explained. "I found it on some dead goblins."

"What were you doing after you escaped the ship?" asked Ryth-Shan. "I don't think you ever told us."

She shrugged. "I spent a good deal of time killing the surviving Ghaik, their thralls and their intellect devourers," she told him. "I was doing everything I could to try to find some sort of cure or to force them to take it out of me. It was to no avail."

Ryth-Shan made an Insight roll and got a 14+2=16. He succeeded. He got the impression that Lae'zel had, in fact, fought maybe one or two enemies during that time, but she was exaggerating her activities. She was likely injured and recovering for most of the time. Regardless, he kept this to himself.

Lae'zel then changed the subject. "The locals prove compliant. A useful trait."

Ryth-Shan nodded. "That was an admirable interrogation technique. Very efficient." He gained another point for relationship.

Lae'zel smiled only a little and shrugged. "Chk. A shell so thin requires little to crack it. The 'teeth-ling,'" she said, emphasizing 'teeth,' "was clear. If there are Githyanki west of here, that must be our objective. Purification cannot wait."

Ryth-Shan chuckled. "'Teeth-ling'. Nice." He gained another point of relationship with her. "I don't know this protocol. What does purification entail exactly?

"The Creche holds the Zaith'isk. It will cleanse us of the parasite," she told him. "By Vlaakith's covenant, I know little more."

Ryth-Shan then eyed her for a moment. Were her intentions sincere? He watched closely for signs of deceit. Her eyes drifted downward. Something was off. "There's something else you want to say. Spit it out."

She became cold once more. "An infinitude. We are not friends. I will speak when it suits me, and not before."

Just when he thought things were starting to go well between them, she shut him down. "Fine," he said. "Have it your way."

And then, they heard shouting from an open doorway nearby. Looking in that direction, they saw something rather strange. There was a female goblin in a cage, and Arka and Mennos, two of the Tieflings from the wall, were arguing as Arka pointed her crossbow in the face of the goblin.

Lae'zel snorted. "Looks like they caught a live one. Wonder where they found it. Seems the security of this place is seriously in question. First the bugbear breaks in and now a goblin female."

"I think I saw her at the wall," said Ryth-Shan. "She turned into a spider and tried to climb in. She was taken down by that Tiefling, Elegis. Shall we see what they're up to?"

Lae'zel shrugged. "I suppose. Perhaps the goblin will reveal to us some useful information if we question her."

"Sounds like a plan," said Ryth-Shan, and the two made their way towards the open door.

Meanwhile, Kaedyn and the others bounced around from one merchant to the other to sell all their wares and buy better equipment. They sold the excess armor they'd picked up, the Silver Locket with Papa inscribed on it, the Scroll of Animal Friendship, since Ryth-Shan handled all conversations with animals, the Fire Bolt scroll, since that was a cantrip and Gale already knew it, the extra non-magical weapons such as longswords, crossbows, etc., and all of the silverware, plates, etc.

In return, they bought Astarion a set of Thieves Tools that Arron had in his inventory. Apparently, some adventurers sold the set to him. They then had enough to buy something called "The Blooded Greataxe." Dammon, who sold it, explained, "It is stained brown and reeks of iron. This greataxe once belonged to a killer so deranged, his name was magically scrubbed from all histories. It has a special ability called 'Relentless Revenge.' Basically, when the wielder is at a point where the axe determines that he or she is at about 50% of their health, they will suddenly begin to deal extra damage to their foes."

Indeed, if Vexir's HP dropped to 50% of her maximum health, she'd begin to deal an extra 1d6 damage to her enemies. "This is good," said Kaedyn as he teased her. "You're always running up and getting knocked around. We might as well at least benefit from it."

She gave him a pretend dirty look. "Very funny," she replied. Their relationship went up to 63.

After that, they sold the remainder of their magic scrolls, except for the Revivify scrolls, and some sort of strange gauntlets that they picked up off of the Goblin Captain at the gate. Gale used Identify to inform them that the gauntlets were attuned to some goddess named 'The Absolute,' the same name that the captain had called out to during the fight. Only if someone had the mark of the Absolute branded on them could they use the gauntlets without being cursed. So they chose to sell them for coin so they could afford a Disarm Trap kit, two shortswords for Astarion, and another magic item that fit their needs much more; a magic handaxe called Dragon's Grasp. If the wielder hit with it, the target would be set on fire; with exceptions. Kaedyn equipped this weapon.

"Well," said Astarion. "At least the important people got new stuff."

Gale laughed. "It makes sense. The two of them are our melee people. It's better for them to be well-equipped first. The longer they stay alive, the more we can pummel our enemies from a distance."

"Agreed," said Shadowheart. "Hey. Where did our Gith companions go?"

"Hmmm," said Vexir in reply. She hadn't even noticed that they weren't with them. "Perhaps we should try to find them before we do anything further."

"I can tell you where they went," said a patrolling Tiefling. "I saw them talk to Zorru down by the storeroom." She pointed down the northern path past where some children were doing some basic combat training exercises. "Then they went into the prison area. Not sure why. All that's in there is some caged goblin female."

"Caged goblin female?" said Vexir. "Where did she come from?"

"Elegis, at the wall, caught her trying to sneak in during the fight," replied the patrol woman.

"I wonder if she can tell us anything about this Absolute," said Vexir to the others. "Maybe that's what Ryth-Shan and Lae'zel were thinking. We should meet back up with them and find out." Everyone agreed, and they set out at once along the northern path.