Author's notes:
Sorry folks, I had some bizarre problems trying to get part 3 to work, but it should be right now.
Also I wanted to add that I have never played DND and my only knowledge of it and its rules are from Baldur's Gate. In fact, most of what I have written and made up possibly goes against these rules, if you have a problem with this don't read it. I wrote it for story only. If I write more, I may make a bigger effort to follow (what I know of) DND.
Begin the Chase.
Ridley sat back down at the table uncomfortably; he was still damp and now he smelled like ale.
"I don't suppose anyone knows where we are yet?" he asked the other three, leaning across the table. Norda looked back at him over the top of one her maps they'd spread out across the table to study. So far they'd been unsuccessful in placing themselves on any of the maps between them, which was disconcerting.
"No," the elf replied calmly with a hint of amusement in her voice, "but I believe we were just robbed."
"What?" Ridley replied in surprise and Elwood instinctively began to reach for his battle-axe.
"The woman who just bumped into you," Norda explained, "picked your pockets." Ridley looked slightly shocked. After all, he was the thief here. People didn't pick his pockets he picked theirs. Or, at least, he used to.
"That's impossible," he protested and began digging into his pockets, "see, I still have my money." He jiggled the money pouch victoriously for a moment, then frowned, and frantically began searching through his multitude of pockets.
"The dragons eye!" he exclaimed as his search proved fruitless. Norda raised an eyebrow in her own vague motion of I told you so .
"I didn't know you even had it with you," Marina voiced in concern, "didn't we leave it in the cemetery?"
Ridley shook his head, "No, I had it, but I... I didn't have the time to put it away." He was still pulling bizarre objects out of his pockets in the hope of finding the overly sized gem in the deep corners of a pouch too small to fit it. A lock-pick kit, string, a metal hook and other items began to pile up on the table. Marina looked disappointed
"Do we really need it?" she asked uncertainly, already knowing what the answer was.
"I can think of two good reasons why we would," Norda replied, watching Ridley search, "firstly, should our coins be unacceptable here as local currency, it would be useful for acquiring some More importantly, should the dragon's eye be connected to our teleportation here, it would most likely also be connected to our teleportation home." It didn't do much to reassure Marina's downcast look. Ridley finally gave up searching and began to pick up his enormous amount of junk, which had surprisingly once fitted onto his person.
"What are we going to do?" Marina asked, looking to Ridley, and then Norda. Elwood had obviously already decided that whatever it was, it was going to require his weapon. The dwarf grunted discontentedly, he might not have been so grumpy if he'd actually gotten that ale. At that moment, one of the numerous barmaids trotted past a few tables over. Ridley immediately stalked over and pounced on her, taking a hold of her arm.
"Where'd that woman go?" he demanded of the barmaid, eyes roaming the bar for the thief.
"Excuse me?" the barmaid replied ultra sweetly, and blinked her eyelids as though she weren't actually in possession of a single brain cell, but shared it with her best friend. Perhaps she shared it with all the other barmaids.
"The woman," Ridley pressed, "short, with dark hair " The woman squeezed out a forced smile.
"I'm sorry Sir, I just serve the drinks, I don't keep track of the patrons," she told him, though she knew perfectly well what he was alluding to.
"No, she wasn't a customer, she was working here she…" Ridley spotted Lain, "her," he accused, pointing a finger at the barmaid who had been cleaning up the spilt ale earlier, "she knows what I'm talking about." Lain looked up from the table she was serving ale at, spotted the disturbance and her eyes widened. Immediately she turned away and disappeared into the crowd before Ridley could catch her too. The barmaid facing Ridley shrugged.
"We don't encourage disturbances in our bar," she told Ridley darkly, "perhaps it would simply be better for everyone if you left." Ridley felt growingly annoyed at the evasive action of these barmaids, but before he could argue, Elwood stepped up beside him, battle-axe help up slightly threateningly. The barmaid eyed the dwarf up calmly.
"Please," she told the dwarf a little sarcastically, and drew away the slit in her long drab brown skirt to reveal a lengthy, but sturdy saber sheathed at her thigh.
"There are seven more barmaids working in this establishment, all of who are equally proficient," she added.
"She's right," Norda spoke up, "now is not the time Whoever it was will soon know that we don't take kindly to being stolen from." The barmaid took one look at each of them, then hurried off leaving the group standing there, still wondering what to do.
However she had barely gone one minute before another voice spoke up to the right of the group and a heavily cloaked figure stepped out from the shadows.
"You want to know where that woman went?" Nothing could be seen of the person in the cloak, but its voice was horribly whispery, like a snake.
"Do you know something you could tell us?" Norda inquired of the stranger, who seemed to sway on the spot in a way that was almost hypnotising.
"Yessss, I could help you," it replied slitheringly, and raised its hands to the sides of it head. As it did so, the cloak around its hands fell slightly down to its wrists, revealing long talon like claws for fingers and causing the party's eyebrows to raise considerably.
As the person/creature, whatever it was, pressed its fingers/talons to, presumably where its forehead would be, a chanting hiss rose out from behind the cloak.
"I don't like this," Marina whispered to Ridley in concern. She was getting horrible vibes from this creature that gave her goose bumps and sent shudders up her back. Something felt dark, and possibly evil about it. Suddenly the creature completely stopped.
"Ssssshe issss to the northwessst of the cccity, riding a large brown horse. Sssshe issss heading towardssss the foresst." The creature dropped its arms and paused as the group digested this information, sending silent message to each other through their eyes.
"I'm afraid we're a little new in town," Marina finally confessed and received a bothered look from Ridley. That was not the kind of information one should simply be giving away, it was like asking someone to take advantage of you. The stranger did not seem surprised by the information, however.
"Of courssse," came the hissed reply, "I can sssupply you with a map, if you'd like." Marina didn't have the courage to tell the stranger that, in actual fact, she didn't want to accept anything from it. She did nothing to stop the creature from reaching a hand, once again revealing the talons, into his cloak and pulling out a long rolled up piece of parchment. The stranger held it out to her but the talons and the horrible feeling emanating from the stranger turned her off accepting it, until, after a moment of stillness, Ridley took the parchment himself.
"Good luckkk," the creature replied then, obviously feeling its business was done, began drawing back into the shadows.
"I really don't like this," Marina repeated, eyeing the map Ridley had unrolled and was studying, as though it might leap up and begin strangling one member, or perhaps all of the group.
"No," Ridley agreed, surprising her, "nothing comes for free, and he didn't ask for anything in return." He nodded a head in the direction of where the stranger had disappeared.
"It doesn't matter," Norda told them. She took the top end of the map and began rolling it up and out of Ridley's grasp whilst he was still in the process of inspecting it. Ridley thought it was strange that he couldn't recognise a single detail on the parchment.
"Assuming we're not being lead on a wild goblin chase," the elf continued, "I can track the thief, especially if she's riding." She directed the group back out into the marketplace that stood outside the Devil's Grin tavern, then, taking a look up into the sky, immediately set off in a particular direction, Ridley, Marina and Elwood following behind her.
