Onward!

[GM / Malinous]

After Four weeks, two guards show up at your door.

"Captain Rockshield would like to speak with you and requests that you visit with him at headquarters. We're here to escort you there."

[ehren]

[if we don't have our equipment] Let us grab our things. Wait here, we'll be with you shortly.

[if we have our equipment] We are at the Captain's command. Lead on.

[GM / Malinous]

Assuming Mes goes along with it, they wait for you to round up your stuff and escort you to the Guard building, and to a somewhat cramped meeting room with bare walls and and a square table with 6 chairs.

"If you'll just wait here."

And they'll leave and close the door behind them.

IF you ask them why you were summoned they don't know and they don't care to know. Not in their job description.

[GM / Malinous]

15 Minutes later, Captain Rockshield and Sgt. Stoutarm.

[Captain Rockshield,
head of the guard. Greybeard. Missing an ear from when a horror-crazed madman bit it off.

Sgt. Stoutarm,
Biggest Dwarf you've ever seen. Bald with a thick black beard. Built like a slab of obsidian rock. Rumour is that he's just a short troll. He doesn't mind, he likes trolls' sense of honor!]

Sgt. Stoutarm [Who I may have accidentally called Rockshield in the first session, oops!]: "Good, you haven't left town. Ha. Ha."

[GM / Malinous]

Captain Rockshield: "We just received a rather interesting object from Councilor Madeara." *produces the warded message stone*. "According to his servant Alfred, who delivered the object, the Councilor was able to guess the passcode and unlock the message."

Sgt. Stoutarm: "Ha. Not likely. But we were told the message stone came from you, and you found it off some scoundrel in the Downs. We'd like to know more about this object."

*Sgt. Stoutarm and Captain Rockshield then proceed to grill the characters about what happened previously and how they got the stone for half an hour. And they're clearly not going to reveal what's on the stone until they're finished asking questions.*

[ehren]

*Mes will answer truthfully, and try not to incriminate himself or his Family. After all, the only reason that The Dagger is dead, is that he fell*

[ehren]

While I have the chance, I'll use Astral Sight on the message stone. I'll take the 1 strain & you can roll for me (redbrick is down at the moment).

[GM / Malinous]

The message stone appears to be an ordinary warded message stone. Contains a message.

[Mawaris]

Likewise, I see no reason to not be open in our answers with these two. They probably aren't out to get us, and already know plenty enough to get us in trouble if that were their goal.

Etiquette roll for good measure for the situation:
rolls: d12e Etiquette => 18

[ehren]

Etiquette: step 6 - d10 (8) = 8

[GM / Malinous]

The ward stone shows an elf.
"Your fears of discovery are clearly pointless, those three have retreated and won't be coming back. You need to step up the attacks. Contact Cinder if you need further material assistance. Don't contact us."

You don't recognize the elf, who Sgt. Stoutarm informs you is Treas Tirisfal, a minor assistant to Hael Valeshroud, V. Verdant's advisor/scarred man

Sgt. Stoutarm: "Given your story, and this message, I think it's time to round up some of the men and escort him in for questioning."

Captain Rockshield nods and leaves.

Sgt. Stoutarm: "Care to come along?"

[Mawaris]

"Absolutely. If you hadn't invited us we'd go anyway."

[ehren]

"Like you could keep us from finishing this! We don't leave deads undone. While I don't usually make an issue of telling you Worthies your jobs, would it make sense to try to round up this whole conpiracy at the same time? We should get Treas and Cinder at the same time if at all possible." - Mes

[GM / Malinous]

Sgt: We've looked, no one has any idea where this Cinder is. We're hoping Treas can tell us.

[GM / Malinous]

You, Sgt, Lt. Goldheart, and 2 other guards proceed to the Verdant compound, and demand that they thurn over Treas.

Elias appears and demands to know one what grounds!
Sgt. Shows him a brief second of the message stone "this was recovered from a certain individual clearly behind the attacks!"
Elias: What! [Looks a little thrown off.] "Whatever." *looks at one of his guards* "Go get him."

Elias then stomps off.

[GM / Malinous]

Treas appears. Demands to know why you are here! Sgt. tells him he is under arrest! He looks like he's about to feint. And goes calmly.

The 5 of you begin the walk back towards the jail/barracks!

[Mawaris]

Dec 8, 2011 0:10:24 GMT -5 GM / Malinous said:

Treas appears. Demands to know why you are here! Sgt. tells him he is under arrest! He looks like he's about to feint. And goes calmly.

The 5 of you begin the walk back towards the jail/barracks!

For clarification, was he actually about to "feint" or was he about to "faint"? I think you meant "faint", but if it really was "feint" that would indicate he considered fighting back, and would require much closer observation.

Also, wouldn't there be 8 of us now? Unless most of the guards stayed behind?

[GM / Malinous]

It might be a feint feint! You think he's about to feint, but it's actually a strike! Otherwise, you wouldn't know in advance!

More likely he's just about to faint though!

[ehren]

I'll try to keep an eye on him, and also my eyes peeled for a possible ambush.

I'll also check him out with Astral Sight.

[Mawaris]

I also will scan him with Astral Sight (figure it can't hurt to do it multiple times, and I don't know Mes is doing so).

(Redbrick site is back up but seems in their re-design they didn't include the dice roller. )

rolls: d6e + d6e Astral Sight => 11 + 13 = 24

Also, as we walk along, I will casually flip one of the daggers I got from The Dagger, in plain sight of Treas.

[GM / Malinous]

The knife certainly makes him nervous!

Sgt. Stoutarm casually to Treas: "There's rumour of horror involvement. The penalty for that is a very slow, and painful death. Good show though."
Guy looks sickly ill: "What! No, I would never do anything like that! I was just doing what I was told by-"

Treas then falls over screaming, as blood begins to leak out of his eyes, noes, mouth, and other orifices.

Since you are conveniently astrally perceiving at the time, you do not see any sign of an outward magical attack. Most likely it starts with a pulse of magic from a small cut on his arm. Looks like a blood oath.

He can't survive the 9 wounds and the damage. So he's very dead.

Sgt. "Damnit."
Looks at the three brothers: "Well, if you ever wanted to know what it looks like to see someone break a blood oath. Now you know."

*Points at two of the guards* "You two! You're carrying the body."

[Mawaris]

Well, damn.

Anything else of note in his astral signature, before or after death? Post-death I'll be looking for anything at all that might indicate anything about the nature of the oath that was violated (beyond the obvious).

[Also as a side note, I'd think a slow and painful death is a bad way to deal with people who are dealing with the horrors; torture seems like it would give horrors a good easy opening to possess the victim or to manifest things through him. A FAST death is the much better way to go.]

[GM / Malinous]

A quick clean death just doesn't have the same motivation!

Besides, if you can lure the horror to the execution, two birds, one stone. Granted, that's the horror's opinion of the whole thing too. But vengeance doesn't lead to rational motivations.

Besides, laws don't have to be rational! You want to be the politician who suggests more lenient punishments for those who consort with horrors? Enjoy your doomed campaign! ;-).

So all in all, the horrors and the politicians both win!

[GM / Malinous]

[]

Following said instances, they carry the body back to be examined. Stoutheart is generally pissed off at no one in particular. The captain isn't particularly pleased. Lt. Goldheart rapidly runs off to the nearest place he can safetly vomit in private, you'd think he'd never seen a person violently die before! Oh, right, he hasn't!

The Sgt. will send the Brothers home.

[GM / Malinous]

When you arrive back at your place that evening, a hurrying messenger arrives just as you do:

"I was instructed to take this straight to you!"

It's a Message from Uld:
"'Ey. I've heard some rumblings that something's about to go down, and Cinder's been spotted. I ave more information if you want to stoppe by." - Uld

[Mawaris]

"Let's go!"

[ehren]

*Grabs cloak*

"To the neither Barrel nor Inn!"

[GM / Malinous]

As you're rushing down a street towards the Fishbarrel Inn, you suddenly spot, hurrying in the opposite direction . . . a familiar looking Red T'Skrang about half a block away moving in your direction! Along with five apparent bodyguards!

She's clearly moving swiftly and didn't know you were there at first, but almost immediately after you notice her, she suddenly notices you . . . and glares.

. . .alas my notes on the entourage are at home, along with my map.

[ehren]

Thats ok... I think we'll chase Cinder.

[GM / Malinous]

New Thread for the Encounter!