Blood of the Ashlands (IC)

[nettle3305]

Spoiler: Theren

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Theren attacks one of the humans with his rapier.

Attack roll: (1d20+5)[6]
Damage roll: (1d8+3)[7]
Crit damage roll: (1d8)[1]

Spoiler: Gelećek & Errich

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"My name is Gelećek Tomm, born son of Votland and Matzden. I was not hiding it, indeed Sinda already knew me as Gell. My intentions are to find someone who can decode the remainder of this letter. I work for nobody, and for anybody who will pay for my services as a mage.

"Aha," says the half-elf, "I believe this to be the letter I translated earlier. It would interest you, Commander."

"Then I should read it," says the man from the rafters, "with Mister Tomm's permission, of course. I believe he's been truthful, so we've no further need to harass him."

"I have already told you the truth. My name is Duke Alejandro Desafios, and I come from the Ostmark Principality. My family had many political rivals, and I grew up always paranoid, watching for plots, as I have already explained to you. However, a few years ago, one of those rivals hired assassins to kill my family, and I was the only one to survive. That is the most likely reason you have not heard of me, and the Dutchy was very, very small to begin with."

He stands there, shaking in (false) rage, as his voice drops to a steely calm, cold as ice.

"after I escaped I wandered for several years. Most who I encountered were of the same mindset of you, disbelieving me because I had no living relatives or any land to call my own. Finally I came here, to Borden, and Schensal Herzfeld took pity on me for my plight, and I am now a guest of his court. I ask that before you continue harassing me you speak with him first.

"The Duke's Seneschal?" says the man from the rafters, his brows furrowing. "Curious. Very well, I think you speak the truth, so hold your peace." The gnome dismisses her spell and the glowing aura permeating the room disappears. The man continues, addressing both Gelećek & Errich. "We know who you are, and now you shall know who we are. I am Commander Hektor Allbach of the Order of the Griffon. My half-elf friend is Knight Peren Wolfsbane. Our cleric is Initiate Tulla Nessik. Our warrior in splint is Initiate Robban Breinholst. The fashionable fellow is Baron Olivier de Martens. The good Baron is not one of the Order. Neither is the bartender, Sinda, though she has seen military service in the past, and now we appeal to her patriotism for her help."

"That's me," says Sinda with a wry smile, "a patriot."

Allbach dismisses her with a wave. "With introductions out of the way, let me clarify our intentions. The Order is not a spy office, however we might act. We are a knighthood order dedicated to protecting the throne, and our pride is our Queen's Guard. Unfortunately, it is the nature of affairs of the realm that the Queen needs more than just loyal blades at her side. Brute force alone cannot protect the Queen from poison or betrayal. Nor can it maintain the stability of the realm, which is very much an entity of culture and trade. The Order's role has expanded, by necessity, beyond mere knight duties.

"As for our presence in Borden, we are currently juggling several important tasks, but our numbers are lacking. Which is my offer to you two." Allbach leans on a table. "One of our informants is missing, Lady Eline Breton. Brown hair, green eyes. Rather short, at five feet. Charming enough to have a long list of suitors—and kidnappers, I'm sure. She's been missing for a month. No leads."

Wolfsbane steps forward and says, "This is where you come in. In a week, Baron Sven Wegener will be holding a celebration in his mansion. Every important figure in the duchy has been invited, and we expect most to show. This is a gathering of hundreds of well-connected individuals."

"However," says Allbach, "there's a chance that Lady Eline's already dead, or no one at Wegener's party will know anything. But the matter is still worthy of investigation. We'd like you two to go in our stead, keeping a degree of separation between the Order and potential adversaries." He turns to Gelećek. "The greatest code experts on the continent reside in our headquarters. If we can't decrypt your letter, it's unlikely there are others who can." Then he turns to Errich. "We have friends among Ostmark's nobles. We could restore your house and family, both in name and in the eyes of your peers." He then addresses both Gelećek and Errich. "We will also pay a standard sum. Three-hundred gold each. Fifty up front, no strings attached. Two-hundred and fifty for going to the Baron's party and finding something of use."

Spoiler: Guhzunthite

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Achoo turn to Esther: " You seem interested Miss Esther. Do you know the place? "

"No," says Esther, giving the lizardfolk an odd look, "I've never heard of it."

The driver says to the local woman, "Thank you for your time. I think I'll ask around." He rides the horse and cart off to the fields near the watermill.

"Curious," says Lothzar, "but I am currently too busy to go ruins diving. I shall search for a place to stay." He heads off to the center of the hamlet.

The other humans in the traveling group disperse among the locals. Esther thanks the woman again and follows after the cart.

Spoiler: Astella

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Astella nods her head at the men. Still she does not approach the campsite directly merely moving to pass it by, no need to give them extra cause to be wary. She would call out to them, however, from where she was, "Hail travelers, know how much further to Borden it is from here?"

Neither of the armored figures answer, however, the woman in the colorful jacket stands from the log she is sitting on and takes a few steps towards Astella and the boy. She says, "Two days at our pace. We travel fast to make good time, but not so much as to to exhaust ourselves." She pauses a moment, then continues. "I don't suppose you two come from Argenweld? I am Mirella and this is my brother Erwin. Our father, Baron Vitalis Breton, is Lord of the Argenweld Barony and its surrounding regions."

Spoiler: Stran

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Stran hits, but it is a glancing blow to the sailor's head. The sailor, face bloodied, cries in alarm and tries to run.

Stran gets an opportunity attack.

Spoiler: Evodine

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Evodine draws blood on her first strike, but misses with the second. The wolf now bears a large, bloody gash on its side.

Bredenbent curses, stands, draws his shortsword, and jabs twice at the wolf which attacked him. He strikes with his second attack, cutting deep into the wolf's flesh.

The wolf next to Evodine closes for a bite. Evodine dodges the attack.

The wolf next to Bredenbent pounces on him, jaws firmly clamped around his shoulder, knocking him prone.

It's Evodine's turn.