Quote from DirtyDogP >>

OOC: Do we still have vials of potion from the humanoid Volo?

(Yes... I forget, did anyone drink them during the recent combat? If so, that is an empty vial.)

Drusk nods at Quillary's suggestion, but then looks puzzled. Drusk holds up four fingers, then looks around the group. "The fifth person won't have a necklace. I'm willing to go without, for now, as long as someone with a necklace does the talking if we run across any Xanathar gangs."

OOC: I'm pretty sure I remember Drusk drinking one. Yep, he did in #3844. How similar is Hildi's amulet of health to the Xanathar necklace? Similar enough that if the other four show theirs and he shows his, they might not notice?

Drusk will pour a bit of water to wash out the empty vial he has, then hands it to the more dextrous halfling for the fluid transfer.

(Hildi's necklace is a single eye surrounded by tentacles, so not similar to the Xanathar pendant.

The party doesn't have a plan involving them, and it may not matter. But I'm checking who is the odd person out, just in case.)

Hildigrim's head jerks as he quickly looks behind himself. "What we do, we should do it fast. I still feel like we're being watched."

(OOC: Pascal also has an empty vial, as he used the potion of fire breath.

Who should hold onto the potion of heroism? With the temp hit points and Bless effect, maybe Pascal or Hildi?)

Give it to Pascal. Hildi doesn't get hit that often, and he usually gets advantage due to Volo.

Agree, Jorin's rage helps buffer his damage intake.

OOC > And Quillary has a number of buffs at her disposal, so no need.

"Does anyone need to rest?" Quillary asks. "We could go inside somewhere for a moment and see who arrives here. Or, it's off to the horrors."

I’ll be happy to take it! Haha

Jorin looks himself over and sees he's covered in many slashes, leaving little drops of blood everywhere he walks (27 / 72hp).  "I could probably use a minute to bandage up." He says...

OoC - Short rest?

Hildigrim is not prepared to drive the story right now.

Quillary takes charge. “Let’s get out of here, off to the horrors, we can rest there if we need to.”

"In the meantime," she says, "let me see to that." She lays her hands on some of Jorin's worst cuts, and her spores go to work.

Cast Cure Wounds with a 2nd level slot for 15 healing to Jorin.

Hildigrim furrows his brow and looks in the direction Volo flew, but he doesn't get a chance to comment before his head whips around to look in the opposite direction, his eyes scanning every shadow for watching eyes.

Jorin breathes a sigh of relief, "Thank you Quillary, I am feeling much better.  Let us head to the horrors and stay out of sight."

"You still look like death, just warmed over," Quillary cuffs Jorin playfully.

"You can call Volo to, you, right Hildi? Where is your head? Do you need a good slap?" she asks, honestly, peering at the halfling and raising a hand.

"Well," Hildigrim says, looking concerned, "yes. So long as he has not been damaged, I can dismiss him to a pocket dimension where he is safe. He and I can be very far apart when I do this." The longer he speaks, the more his look of worry, and the way his eyes want to keep darting around lessens. "Then, I can summon him close to me from there. The problem is when he is on this plane, and if we're not in proximity, we cannot communicate telepathically, and so we don't know where each other is. I told him I would be here, and if we leave, he will come back and look for me. I don't know how long that will take, and I could wait too long. Of course, the way the magic works, if he is damaged and his physical form is destroyed, I can summon him again, and he will be no worse for wear. But it takes components I would need to buy. As we know not how far the messenger was planning to run, I cannot calculate the amount of time I should wait before dismissing and summoning Volo. If I do it too soon, he may not know the messenger's final destination. If I wait too long, he might run into trouble and get injured." The halfling stops talking, the worried look having come back. He sighs. "I will just have to ... wing it." He sighs again, then looks at Quillary quizzically. "I'm just worried about my owl. There's no reason to threaten violence." This shift in topic is accompanied by another quick jerk of his narrowed eyes and slight turn of his head to the side as if something troubling caught his attention.

“Wing it!” Quillary chortles in an earthy way. “Tell me more jokes, Hildigrim, as we walk.”

Drusk: "Quillary wasn't threatening violence. In the temple, I used to play the "face slap game" with the other acolytes. (But the other elves didn't seem to enjoy it as much as I did, especially when I forgot to tell them we were starting the game.)"

After the party has moved away for a few minutes, Qullary and Hildigrim (highest perceptions) can hear multiple people heading in the general direction of the house you left. They are far enough behind that the party won't be noticed. (Perhaps other gang members, looking for the missing group of four?)

During the walk, Drusk will spend two Cure Wounds (1st level) on Pascal and Quillary, to get them in slightly better health. Pascal: + 9 hp,   Quillary: + 8 hp. (Drusk also gets 6 healing, from his Life Cleric abilities.)

The party has to use the city ladders to get from Middle Skullport to Lower Skullport. You have the directions on where the Hired Horrors are usually doing demonstrations. Pascal checks with Zsoksia periodically that you are headed in the right direction, and the flying snake gives lazy tongue flicks as an affirmative.

(OOC: You are free to continue your travel conversation. Or if you prefer, you can be surprised that you've already reached your destination.)

You round a building corner, and almost step into a tentacle! 40' away is a roper in a cage (the source of the tentacle). In the middle of the street watching the caged roper is a small crowd of humans, duergar, tritons, and svirfneblin. A middle-aged human with a (cliched) wizard's cone hat is facing them, speaking loudly. "That is what I was saying. It sensed those people coming before they were in sight, it alerted you to their presence, but it is obedient to not attack... unless you tell it to! Remember, Hired Horrors for your lair guarding needs. Ask for Durquin, with 2 "U"s." The audience politely claps for the demonstration, and then the crowd starts to disperse.

Hildigrim doesn't tell anymore jokes. He doesn't do much talking at all. He spends his time looking around, checking for watching eyes. Until he sees the roper, that is. At the sight of the caged monstrosity, the halfling sets his sight on the creature and slowly approaches the cage, trying to take it all in.