To Help or Hinder

Folar, by thecatwhowalksbythemself

"**To Help or Hinder**" (1x11) is the 11th episode of Dun-Johns and Dragons.

### **Previously on *Dun-Johns and Dragons***

In investigating the identity of the Baelor Butcher, the party enlisted the help of local underworld organization The Penumbra, in exchange for clearing a mysterious slime out of the sewers, which The Penumbra use as a means of covert travel. They entered the sewer and found the source of the slime was an Aboleth, which they defeated, though not without significant damage to multiple party members, including Dugluss  being left able to breathe only underwater. Near the monster, they found some symbols on the wall in thieves’ cant which seemed to indicate some kind of stash nearby, which they decided to investigate.

### **Part I**

Yoolna notices a depression in the wall which appears to be some kind of hidden door; she and Magpie discuss in thieves’ cant whether they should take any treasure they find. Zander asks them to teach him thieves’ cant, and they agree to try. Father Buckitt attempts to heave the door open by force but rolls a critical failure and ends up pushing on the entirely wrong section of wall. The rest of the party investigate the door, and are able to slide it aside, revealing a small dark alcove. It contains an old, strange-looking dagger, a deck of cards in a leather pouch, and a small wooden chest containing 42 platinum pieces. Magpie slyly pockets the deck of cards and the party decides to keep the rest as well. They leave the alcove open and coated in slime to look as though it had been breached long ago.

The party retrace their steps with Dugluss following along in the river. As they walk, Magpie teaches Zander some basic thieves’ cant. They also notice a sign for a bridge near where they’d had trouble crossing the water earlier. They find the secret door where they entered and Zander figures out how to open it; they find themselves in the tunnel leading back toward Penumbra headquarters, with sounds of revelry echoing down from the main chamber.

Father Buckitt scoops up a bucket of water for Dugluss to breathe and guides him along the corridor. As the party enters the main room, Magpie casts Thaumaturgy to make a gust of wind dim the torches, and in a magically amplified voice, proclaims, “We have slain the slime!” The people in the room are mostly nonplussed. Makaria approaches and they recount what happened; and she thanks them, and tells them to return tomorrow and she will have the information they need to blackmail a temple arcanist to restore the captain’s memory.

The party heads to the spa to get cleaned up, then return to the Maiden’s Cellar for lunch. On the way, the magical effect wears off and Dugluss is able to breathe normally again; he’s relieved, though somewhat disappointed he won’t get to try breathing ale. In the pub, Magpie excuses herself to the restroom to secretly examine the deck of cards; they look like regular tarot cards, but seem to have some kind of arcane power. The group spends some time playing cards and dragon chess; Stone declines to play cards against Magpie, but instead sits quietly petting a friendly tavern cat [OOC, this was a reference to Sam’s IRL cat Joey, who was sitting in his lap the whole time being adorable]. They also stash the platinum they found in the Portable Hole, and Yoolna claims the dagger; Dugluss examines it and they learn it is a Soul’s Well Dagger, which, once attuned, allows the wielder to heal themselves for an amount equal to a portion of the damage it does to a target.

Later in the day, Father Buckitt goes shopping for a set of plate armor, but it is too expensive. Magpie goes in search of some kind of explosive upgrade to her crossbow, but doesn’t find anything, so just refills her stock of bolts. Zander goes to the market to procure more vegetables to replace the ones in his pack that were ruined with sewer water. As evening falls, they all return to the pub, and the barman introduces them to the old man, Angus, who had been in previously looking for them.

### **Part II**

Angus is an elderly-looking human man in rough, worn-looking clothes, who despite his reserved manner, seems to be in some distress. He says that he and his wife were in dire straits financially and took out a loan from a rough character named Brutus, who has now begun making threats against his cobbler business and family. He asks the party if they can talk to the loan shark or otherwise convince him to leave his family alone. He can’t afford to pay them, but says he can offer his cobbler services if any of them ever need shoes repaired. The party agrees to visit the debt collector first thing in the morning, then settle in for a long rest. Dugluss does some tinkering and builds a small mechanical raven homunculus. Father Buckitt carves decorative symbols into the bucket Dugluss was using to breathe and gives to Dugluss in the morning as a memento of how the bucket saved him when he was cursed; Dugluss immediately begins making plans for how to integrate it into his armor.

As the sun rises, the party sets off for the Peripheries and locates the debt collector’s house. Father Buckitt ties his horse [which JD has just remembered after several episodes] loosely to a lamppost, telling it to raise an alarm if anyone approaches the house with ill intent. Dugluss sends his mechanical raven, Folar, up to scout the area; it doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary. When no one answers their knock, they try the door and find it unlocked. Zander turns himself invisible and slips inside; the building is one large room, mostly empty, but there is a table in the middle with a large chest on it. The others join him and Yoolna attempts to pick the lock on the chest, but it turns out to be a mimic, and it catches her by the hand. They begin attacking, but it changes form into the beaten and bloody corpse of a gnome, and they realize they’ve been set up. As footsteps approach, they stow the gnome in the Portable Hole and Dugluss secures the door with Arcane Lock. Stone uses Meld Into Stone to disappear into the floor.

A voice outside yells, “You, in the house! We have you surrounded! Your game is at an end, Butcher. You’re coming with us one way or another, alive or dead.” Father Buckitt recognizes the voice as Shayne Ironsprinter, a member of The Wolfpack, Prince Tara’s personal guard force. Father Buckitt yells back that there are four of them in the room and that there has been a mistake; they’ve been sent there to investigate the Butcher themselves, and will happily help in any way they can. Ironsprinter tells them to throw their weapons out the window and exit the house with their hands on their heads. Zander takes the Portable Hole and uses Spider Climb to scurry up the chimney and try to hide on the roof, but upon exiting the chimney is immediately struck by two arrows, shot by a female guard on the roof opposite. He puts his hands up and surrenders.

The others throw their weapons out the window, apart from Magpie’s Wand of Wonder, which she keeps concealed in her pocket. Dugluss releases the Arcane Lock and the four of them slowly exit and are immediately chained up. Magpie casts Thaumaturgy to make her eyes glow red. Zander slides off the roof and is also chained. Ironsprinter asks where the sixth member of the party is; they tell him Stone took the day off and they’re not sure where they are. The guards search the house but don’t find Stone; they lead the rest of the party away and Stone waits until it is completely silent, then emerges from the floor.

As the party is marched through the city, Magpie chatters irritatingly at the guards and earns a smack. Father Buckitt hears Sax Panther’s voice in his head asking if he should stay there; Buckitt tells him to wait for Stone. They carry on toward the Alabaster Spire.

## **Featured Characters**

### **Player Characters**

* Dugluss Deep-Forge
* Father Buckitt
* Magpie
* Stone
* Yoolna
* Zander Brushspark