S - Session 003

<--- back to... Session 002
Kokabiel & Maleilei begin to hunt the "Body Snatchers" for Freddy. They noted that these persons had a special symbol on their wanted posters determined to be the mark of the Above Below Collective, run by the woman calling herself the "Queen of the Slums." The mark implies in addition to collecting the official bounty, there would also be no negative repercussions from the thieves guild, as in the systems of "Honor amongst Thieves..." Body Snatchers are scum. In the quad, they easily spot the predators. The surround Orund, the human, with Ko moving him into the path of Maleilei's Greataxe. He was beheaded with a single swipe. Hanne Halen the Dark Elf and Gash the Gnoll proved more challenging, giving almost as good as they got before the pair took their heads, too. 
The Heads were given to Freddy at the Most Icy Cantina in Meridian City on Sethrophos, and he made good and bought them four "Shortbread Cookies of Enlarge/Reduce." They went with the Union Halflings to the Union Hall of the Plumbers, Pipefitters, & Service Technicians Local 125. They found it isn't all sewer halflings, but a fairly powerful group that represents all manner of workers in aquadynamic services. After Ko & Mal paid some street urchins to keep lookout for the City watch, The halflings also fulfilled their end of the promise, and took them right under the temple, where they popped up in an unoccupied latrine, re-elarged, and dumped the scrubber suits down the toilet.
They split up, with Maleilei & Kibou heading toward the Lotus Vale, and Kokabiel forgetting he is an Artificer not a Rogue and going off sneaking and... vandalizing in the name of Markov? Maleilei's conversation with Priestess Balama Marivaldi did not go well, and when the priestess started to cast a "Zone of Truth", Maleilei took it for an offensive spell and attacked. The assault was seen by everyone in the room: The Acolyte Rin, the merchant Cual Bugsim, the priestess herself, and a spy who was, at the time, masquerading as a Pilgrim and talking with the Acolyte. When the melee started, Ko slipped into a store room where he saw crates of lotuses packed up. Maleilei battled the Priestess, who summoned the Guards, as Rin and the spy decided to rob the Lotus Vale, while Cual Bugsim just wanted out with his skin. The spy joined Kokabiel, who tripped a trap animating an oversized set of armor - the spy fled and left Ko to face the threat alone. Rin stole the two mature Lotuses in the pool. Cual escaped, Maleilei killed the guards, but Balama saw Acolyte Rin trying to escape with the lotuses (he had dropped one), and nuked him with Sacred Flame, destroying the lotus he was still carrying. She then escaped when Maleile went for the remaining lotus.
Maleilei helped Kokabiel escape from the armor that was enveloping him, and they got away with the remaining lotus... half of what they owe the dwarves in the Ork vales, back to the Most Icy.
---> on to ... Session 004