Bandaluthia Session 16

Bandaluthia: Session 16

Last time The Animals had made Donis Hathers run for his life. This session saw them check on the house he been in. Ratsel magically disguised as a halforc sailor still, knocked on the door to find the one they believed to be called Felix. Ratsel asked for Donis, but Felix told them he’d gone to the pub. Ratsel left and met up with the others who were in hiding, just a street away. As they were deciding whether or nor to break in and kill Felix, the beady eyed Shaniqua saw the thief. He was himself hiding trying to find signs of the halforc sailor. Ratsel cast invisibility upon Shaniqua and then the halfdrow run to hit him. Felix alerted to the sounds, but could see no one, readied himself, but Ratsel had laid eyes on the villain and put 4 magic missiles into him. Shaniqua tried to hit the floundering man, but missed. It was a strange miss, but Shaniqua didn’t have time to dwell on such matters as both Coolio and Qu let theirs crossbows off. However, both missed. Qu did have time to think that, until now, he had never missed, before Ratsel put another four missiles into the thief. The thief keeled over and died. Shaniqua stepped up to decapitate the corpse “just to make sure” They then fleeced the body and took off with it. No one took a minute to clear up the blood much to Shaniqua’s remonstrations. Ratsel pointed out that if she had not cut his head off, there would be no blood to clean!

Back at 22, they cleaned themselves up and took the goodies found off the body to the guild for identification. One of the more interesting items was a brooch of minor displacement. This solved the enigma of why so many had missed. A useful tool indeed. In the Lounge of the guild, with drink orders of sambucas, mojitos and crème demount, Hollenlord started to discuss Torturabol with Gryff. Qu showed an interest too, and while some spoke together, no one paid any attention to an old lady who had been introduced as Gretta. Ratsel, disdainful of sport and in no mood for idle chat walked home. He did not get far before he realised he was being followed. Ever the coward, he created the infernal darkness that his kind can summons, and fled back to the Satyr. Alas, he was too slow. He did not hear the footsteps gaining upon him at an astonishing rate, he did feel the bite of something sharp between his shoulder blades, before the darkness of death came calling.

The Animals became aware that Ratsel had gone. When asked, the old lady said that the man said he was going home. Alarmed, Coolio and the rest ran upstairs to find Dave dragging a body in. Dave had said he saw someone looting the body, Dave flung two throwing knives at the murderer, which hit, but he had run off. The Body was Ratsel’s complete with the calling card of the Harkers. A horrified Coolio had tried to do a health check, but found no sign of life. Qu went to try, but Affe would not let the stranger near the body. In fact Affe just kept ranting on the chest of his former Master. Hollenlord contemplated ending Affe too!

Coolio sent Qu to the Temple to fetch Father Irmao. Hollenlord and Shaniqua went too, but found that they were being followed and decided to kill the offender. An all out rush by Hollenlord ended the life of another Harker. They were going to take the body with them when they were asked to “Halt, in the name of the Law” The three amigos fled. Qu placed a grease spell near the alleyway, which caught two of the three out and Shaniqua, under the suggestive shouts of Qu, flung a Tangle foot Bag and the remaining Lawman was stopped in his tracks. The three Animals grabbed a taxi and went (the long way round) to the Temple. At 3 o’clock in the morning, the Temple door halfling was more than reluctant to let them in. Qu’s gentle persuasion proved to be enough, and soon Father Irmao travelled to the Satyr with them.

Meanwhile, Ratsel’s corpse had taken a huge inward breath. Affe leapt for joy, and Coolio put two charges of his healing wand into his stricken comrade. It had no affect other than Ratsel began to breathe deeply and with regularity. His massive hole in the back had closed up somewhat too. Coolio was now very confused.

Father Irmao entered the Guild lounge and told Hollenlord to put Ratsel into a booth for privacy. Ten minutes later both came out looking healthy. It transpired that Ratsel, being a Tiefling, and one with such a royal bloodline had regeneration. A weakened version of it, but none the less, regeneration. An overwhelmed Coolio tried to punch Ratsel which was borne of frustration, but the halfling missed, and settled for a hug. It was here that Ratsel discovered that his precious ‘Kaleidoscope’ had gone, and demanded immediate and precise retribution. He bought a locate object scroll from the Guild, but decided that ‘immediate’ was too soon, and the Animals went home. It was after all almost dawn.

The next evening saw the Animals back at the Satyr. The plan was made to recover the Kaleidoscope. Ratsel would magically disguise himself as Shaniqua, Raj and Gus would follow him invisibly (with a little help from Thelonius) and the rest of the Animals would make a pincer movement to trap any would be assassin. The plan worked impeccably. The would be assassin tried to kill “Shaniqua” but Ratsel had the Displacement device upon him and cast a spell throwing the killer into fits of magical laughter. By the time the assassin would have recovered, Gus and Raj had beaten him to death. All good? Not quite, although this was the assassin from The Whip Inn fight, and indeed the one who had ‘assassinated’ Ratsel less than 24 hours ago, he did not have the Kaleidoscope.

A miserable Ratsel returned to the Satyr to return Dave’s throwing knives, D’Jarra-Leon was there. He showed Ratsel a very neat trick. Whilst Ratsel located the object in question, his unofficial master “Accio-ed” the Kaleidoscope back into the possession of its rightful owner. (At least the most recent living owner!)

All is now happy at 22, and the Animals can concentrate on the next matter at hand. The contract out on Donis Hathers. Not all is happy at 164B Feyergas Avenue. They have had a murder. How will Donis react to the slaying of his thief?

All will unfold possibly later rather than sooner (the DM thinks) here in Bandaluthia!