"If you want, I can intercept Ellison," Neya offers. "With how much of slog it is to traverse this marsh, she should not be too far."

While Obsben, Utar, and Neya formulate a plan to capture Ellison, Graxx descends to double-tap Rythnax and collect his gear.

The steel-banded "backpack" the dragon wears comes off easily with enough time dedicated to removing it. The necklace around its neck does not, surprisingly, feel magical to the touch. It depicts the same claw emblem that form Neya's insignia, but both the pendant and the strap holding it are oversized.

Still a little in shock that it isn't them being left for dead in the swamp, Utar snaps back to the moment. CRAP aren't out of danger yet, the mission is not over yet.

"We have the informaiton from Rythnax now, but we do need to stop Ellison.  If they can take what they know to someone else within the Cult, then our victory here is hollow. But, first things first, how are we after the battle?  I've certainly felt better, does anyone have any injuries that need tending?"

Utar admisnisters cure wounds on himself (using second level spell slot to increase the healing) for 8 healing.

Utar then casts find Ellison, hoping to give Neya a direction of travel for her chase.

Graxx stows his new gift from Tempus on his back and holds the "backpack in one hand" and the oversized pendant in the other.

Graxx will walk around Rythnax's body to ensure he isn't leaving anything behind.

Graxx will then nod then the area is secure and will fly back to where Obsben and Utar are standing. (As Neya has most likely departed after Ellison at this point.)

Graxx lifts up with one arm the banded backpack.

"I didn't want to open this without you all." says Graxx.

Graxx then lifts up the pendant.

"This isn't magical but it's a nice trophy.  Maybe Neya would like to use it on a mount or something since it's her insignia?" asks Graxx.

 Obsben doesn't even pretend to give herself a once over, but instead looked a touch stern at Utar. Before she can say more, hearing Graxx's call distracted her at least long enough to rise up and give a thumbs up. "GOOD CALL!" She called out, prior to fishing out a healing potion to quickly knock back, before then putting away vial. "Nothing an hours rest and some bandages won't fix. And I'd feel better if you were going with her to help with the tracking. But failing that-..." She looks off to Sourpuss; who after some gentle mental coaxing, he flutters over ready to follow after Neya to the best of his abilities.

"Not entirely sure what Elli has left in the tank. But with Sourpuss' help, he aughta be able to detect anything invisible in his sight. So look to him if ever... in doubt. I'd go along as added security, but-..." She winces and just shook her head. With all that said, she'd readily shoo Neya on, not wanting to see another second wasted, and spur Sourpuss to do much the same following Utar's direction. And as they leave, she'd sing a soft little tune that seemed to put some pep in her step by the time Graxx shows up. 

"Welcome back, Graxx, and well done with the dragon! I'd like to harvest a bit more of it if we can, as there's good money in that. But seeing what's in there-.." She gestures to the pack. "-should come first for me. So if you could set it down for a bit." Obby eagerly gives the pack a once over once its set down, and after inspecting it for the odd trap(not that she really expected there to be one), she'd eagerly crack it open to start at least pouring over whatever was inside.

-Drink a Healing Potion: 5 HP to Obby.
-Cast (1st level)Pep Talk, restoring 8 HP to Obby.
-Bag Check: 20.

Utar and Obsben engage first in some self-healing, using a mixture of somatic spells, verbal spells, and potions. (Utar recovers 13 HP; Obsben recovers 12 HP.)

Utar wastes little time in activating his Ellison-finder afterwards. Surely enough, the escaping scribe has not moved fast or far enough to avoid the magical detection. Thankfully, the water in the swamp is not "running," otherwise the spell may not work properly.

A direction is given to Neya and she departs in a rush. Sourpuss is dispatched to help. (@Drache: Please roll a skill check under the search action. You may roll with advantage.)

Concomitantly, Graxx returns to the rest of CRAP holding Rythnax's pack and amulet after confirming he is leaving no obvious items of interest back where the dragon fell. Obsben gives it a once-over and determines that it is a custom piece of gear built for the black dragon, and it is reinforced to withstand the brutality of such creature's movements. Otherwise, it seems just like a "messenger backpack," but for dragons. It is not trapped. Inside, the halfing finds pages ripped from the stolen books. They are wrapped in waxen paper and bound tightly with string. There is no indication to who the pages are to be delivered. The amulet is finely crafted and worth some 500gp by anyone's best guess. It might act as a collectable item, an art object, or as a trophy as mentioned by Graxx. It also serves as definitive proof that the Cult is active in Phlan, in case there were any doubts. 

(OOC: To be clear, the amulet is of the emblem of the Cult of the Dragon. Neya's insignia of claws was also pilfered from a Cult member several episodes back.) 

 "Hm~ A touch disappointing. But then again, likely any personal treasure and the like he might've had remains in his den or nearby in the muck somewhere given how clever the dragon thought himself to be." Obsben comments as she pulled out some of the bound pages. "Here. Put these away in that mystical bag of yours. As I trust you'll be keep it safe far better than I can." She says, offering them to Utar.

If, however, corrected on the fact that Neya had the bag(seeing as the Player has kept track of such things), she pouts a bit, before sighing and carefully putting the papers away in her own bag. "Now, there's still the matter of the dragon's remains I'd like to take a once over. But seeing as Neya could perhaps use some assistance, might we be off after her and our prey? Just in case? I'm sure Graxx here can you carry you Utar, as my magic will hold for some time yet." She suggests. "Otherwise, I.. think I'll check out that cave over there for anything of value while you two do... whatever you wish, I suppose. Such as getting Graxx his other weapon perhaps? Or even my hat, as that seems to have floated off when I went under." She'd say and would begin drifting over in the direction of the cave unless there's a call to reinforce Neya. And if given half the chance to check out the den, then she'd be sure to make a night light out of one of her daggers before entering it for a more thorough search of the relatively small domain.

If Cave Searching:
-Cast Light on dagger.
-Cave Search Roll(if necessary): 13(15). (if 13 or lower, using Chronal Shift to re-roll!)

Knowing he cannot match Neya's pace normally, and definitely not over this terrain, Utar wades over to bodies of the unarmed lizardfolk. Giving both bodies a once over.

Investigation - 20

From there, he wades further into the swamp following his Ellison detector.

(OOC Utar is primarily looking for extra intel that the lizardfoll might've been carrying, other than that, anything weird or potentially magical in nature.)

The naturally tricky nature of the marshy pursuit of Ellison is somewhat mitigated by Neya's natural speed, Utar's instructions and Sourpuss's aerial aid.

Perception: 22

@Neya: Although it takes longer than you'd like, you do spot Ellison in the distance after some time. Sourpuss was able to spot him a bit before you did and helped you adjust the direction of your run slightly since Utar wasn't there to keep you updated, but the end result was the same. Ellison is focused on his clumsy run in the treacherous swamp and has not noticed you yet. You take a moment to decide on how to complete the final approach. Ellison is some 40ft away from you now.

@Utar: Carefully looking over the dead bodies of the lizardfolk spellcasters, you unfortunately find little of value. You doubt many folks would be willing to pay for the simple cloths, leathers, and scrimshaw articles these creatures seem to favor. At best, you gather the bone necklace they used has some minor magic in them, but that is about it. After checking the unarmed lizardfolk, you start heading toward Neya.

@Obby: Being reminded (or remembering) that Neya is the one keeping the magical bag, you hang on to the retrieved book pages for now and head into the dragon's cave in search of more spoils, but not before retrieving your hat. You light up the cave and head downward into the earth. It doesn't take long for you to reach a damp, muddy, mushy area that looks a lot like the outside, just darker. Among the mush, you find a pile of scattered treasure which you can only assume to be Rythnax's horde. It is smaller than you anticipated but, thinking back on the info shared by Ekmong, you suspect that it would make sense for the horde in a recently-established dragon lair to be somewhat thin. Nonetheless, there is a non-negligible amount of coin and gems here of all denominations (3,000gp worth). Nestled amongst the rotting vegetation and bones lining the floor of his lair, you also find some poor knight's suit of splint armor and their accompanying mace (the mace is magical but no the suit of armor), a magnifying glass, a sheathed longsword with a bifurcated blade (also magical), a spell scroll of dispel magic, and a leather-bound spellbook (unused but magical).

Graxx admires his new weapon but remembers his prior gift from Tempus.  Graxx wants to ensure this relic not lost to the Lizard people and result in the loss of innocent life.

Graxx will attempt to traverse to where he dropped the axe and will walk around through the muck hoping to walk upon his axe with his feet.

While simultaneous hoping he does not step on the axe blade.

He will be walking slowly to try to limit any damage.

Investigation:  2

Obsben licked her lips before grinning like a madwoman as she waggled her fingers over the findings. But as tempted to skim a little off the top in coins and gems, she'd settle for immediately packing the scroll, magnifying glass, and spellbook away for further study, before... No. She'd hold off calling the others about the coin, as they still had a loose thread to catch up to some time soon. So in the meantime, she'd awkwardly hold her glowing dagger between her teeth just so that she could take the mace and sword(sheathe and all after a bit of maneuvering) with her on the flying trip back out.

And if she still saw at least Graxx nearby(hopefully successful in his own search), she'd wave her findings before settling just outside the entrance to begin the overlong process(ritual) of divining the nature of the mace and sword. If, however, Graxx insists upon them catching up to Utar, hopefully picking up the Half-Orc as necessary along the way, then she'd feign a disappointed sigh and put off her examinations.

Meanwhile, Sourpuss appeared poised to assist Neya with some guidance from the Not-a-Ninja. But if asked or signaled to stay out of things, then he'd just as happily stay out of sight but observant of the situation until he deemed it necessary to provide further assistance.

As Neya gets closer to Ellison, she prepares to hook Ellison with her enchanted bow. She aims to leverage one of his legs to trip him up.

Graxx realizes that the axe is not exactly where he remembered it being dropped, but he manages to find it after a few minutes of careful searching. The barbarian also avoids accidentally stepping on the blade! By the time he steps back onto drier ground, Obsben is already working on the first item in her newest haul. The bone-crested mace is quite large and heavy, but still designed to be wielded in one hand. Through her spell, Obsben not only learns of the weapon's peculiar properties, but also its name: "Bonecounter"

Meanwhile, hundreds of feet away, Neya easily hooks Ellison and brings him down onto the muck. "No, no... Don't hurt me. I did nothing to hurt any of you. You can't blame me for running away from a dangerous situation, right?!"   

(OOC I'll let Lerus decide when Utar manages to catch up with Neya and Ellison.)

Utars wades through the swamp following his Ellison-radar until at last, the half-orc catches up. Fitting the set of manacles he took off the thugs in the alley earlier in their adventure, tightly around Ellison's wrists, Utar turns to Ellison and lets his words hang ominously in the air. "There are some people back in Phlan who want a word with you. Let's head back, shall we?"

While Utar would generally rather be respected than feared, for Ellison, Utar decides that the later might be best.

Intimidation - 7

If Neya has not already done so, Utar will give Ellison a pat down, and confisacte any pouches, bags, books, backpacks, satchels as well asny hidden goods the former scribe might have.

Investigation - 19 with guidance for good measure - 1

Graxx carefully stows his formally beloved axe on his back and keeps his new weapon out.

Graxx approaches Ellison.

”You said some pretty hurtful things about us.  I did not like that.” says Graxx.

Although interest builds on whatever other treasures might be revealed with a little more study, Obsben has to agree with Graxx that catching up to Ellison is a more time-sensitive matter. The other goodies will have to wait. Soon, the pair catches up to Utar, picking him up on the way, so the trio can then catch up to Neya.

They arrive to a scene that matches their expectations. Neya has easily asserted control over Ellison and the scribe is in the process of arguing for a peaceful approach. He reminds the party that he didn't attack any of them at any time, adding: "I care little for the Cult or what they may wish to do to me. I am ready to collaborate with you. It was just a job and I have no love for the Cult. I am ready to leave them behind. Just let me go afterwards and I'll share everything I know with you, okay?"

Utar responds with a threat of jail time, but Ellison continues to argue for his freedom. When Graxx shows his disapproval for the language used by Ellison earlier, he explains: "There was a dragon there! I was catering to his aggressive nature. I didn't want him to blame and kill me for being followed. I was just trying to stay alive, you know. No harm, no foul, right?" 

By now, Utar is inspecting whatever belongings Ellison still had on his person after losing most of it to his encounter with those sewer grubs. The only thing he managed to get away with was Aya's scroll of hold person and Agin's copy of Lords and Lineages of Phlan. The book is wrapped carefully in a blood-stained shirt. 

"Yes, there was a foul." says Graxx.

Graxx will set down his pack and retrieve his rope.

Graxx slaps the rope in his hand.

"You have lied too many times.  You cannot be trusted." says Graxx.

Graxx holds the rope out in front of this hand.

"I'm going to bind your hands together now." says Graxx.

Graxx tone grows a bit darker.

"If you resist... Or run...  I will whip you with this rope until you are unconscious then bind you.  It's not worth the pain.  Please do not resist." says Graxx.

Graxx will attempt to bind Ellison.

20 Roll:  7

"Also, it was simply the theft of the books, we may have considered it. But, you also have the murder in the library to answer for. That is very difficult to overlook," Neya states.

"I won't resist," Ellison says meekly. "All I am asking is for a conversation and some understanding." Ellison continues as he is being bound by Graxx: "The Cult used me and I only complied in order to survive. I no longer have any ties to them. I am ready to collaborate with you."

Neya brings up the murder of Garda Greenleaf but Ellison is quick to dismiss it: "Self defense. I tried to explain to Garda the same I am explaining to you now. Her response was to attack me. I couldn't just stand there and let her kill me. I acted in self defense and she unfortunately fell awkwardly."

"Listen, if reason won't work here," he continues "How about a show of good faith. I'll answer any questions you might have and promise to help you in whichever capacity I can next time we meet. You have my word. I will start with the first half of this offer. What would you like to know? I promise to cut all the fluff. Here: I was sent to find information about the Pool of Radiance from the Library. Books with such information are hard to come by. It took me months to identify and locate them, and even more time to plan their violence-free extraction. I stole them without hurting a fly. Then, on the last stretch, Garda tried to be a hero and, well... you know what happened. All that was left to do was to run to the dragon, deliver the pages, and be free of this nightmare." He looks at CRAP apologetically: "Now, come, ask your questions. Let me show you I truly mean to cooperate. Don't let my previous hurtful words cloud your judgement. I was just trying to survive... to complete the mission and get out."