[4E] Adventures in Fallcrest - IC

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard/MC ranger

Lucan frowns, considering. "No..." he says slowly. "They aren't very amusing."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

The horse turns around, looks at Lucan, and shakes its head. After a few more urges, however, it begins trotting back into the city.

The streets are dark and empty, and you don't encounter anyone as you make your way back to the Rex manor. The gate is shut, but a few knocks later, a small viewing hole opens up. You see a pair of human eyes squint at you, and moments later the gate opens. It's the same guard from early that morning, and (after shutting the gate behind you), leads you up to the manor, where the Kobald greets you. He quickly ushers you inside to the study, and orders a house guard to take the wagon around back, and keep watch over the human and half-elf you brought back with you. After a quick "Can I get you anything to eat?" he scampers off.

A few minutes later, Berrian enters the study, shutting the door behind them. He gives a shiver, and with a qave of his hand, conjures a fire in the hearth. With a nervous twitch, he turns to you. "Please tell me that you have good news, and didn't abduct two members of the city guard for your own personal amusement."

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard/MC ranger

Lucan frowns, considering. "No..." he says slowly. "They aren't very amus--

"Wait!" he interrupts himself. "What just happened?" He peers around, as if expecting events to repeat themselves again. His stomach rumbles suddenly, and he decides that if it happens again, he'll definitely ask the kobold to get him some food next time.

Spoiler

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OOC: Sorry, that was cheap, but I couldn't help myself. And then I ruined it by taking several retakes to get the wording right.

UPDATE: Aww, now that the first post's been deleted, my joke doesn't make any sense. Although Lucan does look kind of psychic, doesn't he? It comes from having he virtue of prescience, you know. He responds to things before they happen, talks to the earth instead of the horse, that kind of thing. Most prophets are a little bit crazy.

[Mando Knight]

"If it were for amusement that we captured the half-elf, then he would have his tongue and fingers cut off and my initials deeply carved into his back. I'm not into being insulted by a half-blood who disrespects his own family. He inherited our ego and humanity's bull-headed bravado, it seems."

With that, he saunters around the room. "Both men tried to attack us when we attempted to seize the goods. We'd like to talk to Rex in the morning about it... there's some details that I'd prefer to be discussed in person."

[Haberdashery]

The Shepherd cants his head at Berrian. After giving his companions a moment to relate their explanations, he very calmly posses a question of his own.

"Are you always quite so...twitchy?" He asks, as gently as possible. "You know, the quivering goat is always the first to fall off the mountain."

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain speaks calmingly to Aramil. "Come now, cousin, calm down. Corellon calls us to create beauty, not ugliness. Wanton, petty revenge will not accomplish this." He looks thoughtful for a moment.

"Ahh, Berrian. May I ask you something? Rex's son he mentioned, do you happen to know his name? I like having names for people rather than just a vague relationship to someone else."

[Mando Knight]

"He would have looked better afterwards, I promise. Would've sounded better, too."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Berrian looks at the Goliath. "Er...well...no, not always. But more and more often." He adds with a wince.

At Eltain's question, he arches an eyebrow. "His son? Which one? My Lord has 3 sons. Well, four, but the youngest is still practically a hatchling. He holds up his hand, and counts off the names. "The eldest Rex son is Tyrannous. He's currently in training to become a priest of Bahamut, although I'm not certain how well he's progressing.. He raises a second and third finger. "After Tyrannous are Murderous and Furious. They..." he pauses, searching for words. "They're good sons, but they took the death of their mother very hard. They both left home a few years ago. I'm not sure where Murderous is, but last rumors put Furious in Thunderspire, to the East."

He raises a fourth finger. "The youngest will come of age in a few months, and will choose his name then. He's wandering the house somewhere." Berrian gives a vague wave towards the back of the manor.

Berrian pauses, and tilts his head. "Why the sudden curiosity, if I may ask?"

[Mando Knight]

"We happened to run into a dragonborn with a much less violent-sounding name, and were wondering if he was a relative."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Berrian nods at the comment on the Rex family names. "Yes...there do tend to be downsides to allowing pre-teens to choose their own name when they come of age."

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick giggles. "Wow, choosing his own name soon. That will be a big choice; hopefully he fairs better than his brothers. I wish I could have picked my own name. Pavick is okay, but it's kind of... blah, I guess. I would have picked something a little flashier. You know a bit of flair! Maybe something like... SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!" As he says the name he waves his hand in front of his chest and the name appears in a rainbow of shimmering letters in front of him. The letters last only a moment before slowly fading away into nothingness.

"I do think we've got plenty of good information for only a day's work though. A few names and a couple of locations to try to look deeper into. And I think Eltain mentioned having a contact in the guard to speak with tomorrow too. We were considering turning in for the night soon, but wanted to drop off the wagon and guards somewhere safe. The half-elf probably has some information, and the wagon was full of good stuff that Lord Rex could probably find uses for." Pavick begins recounting as many of the items in the wagon as he can remember, counting them off on his fingers as he does so.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard/MC ranger

As Pavick retells the story, Lucan's face scrunches into a puzzled expression. "So, what happened to the other dockworker?" he asks.

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OOC: I think we left him tied up.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Berrian pauses at the gnome's outburst. "You know, I think there was a cousin called simply "Alidocious," although he was hardly super. Rather dull, if I remember correctly... His eyes take a distanced look, as he begins wandering off in his own mind, but he snaps back to the present as Pavick describes the items recovered in the cart. "This is wonderful news! Well done, well done indeed." He gives a smile, one of the first smiles you've seen appear on the nervous Eladrin's face.

The smile is short-lived however, and he begins muttering (partially to you, partially to himself). "Not sure what to do about the guards, however. Bad business, kidnapping guards. Do we have any evidence against them?" he asks, looking up at you. "I'm just debating about whether it would be prudent to turn them in to the captain of the watch, of if we should keep an eye on them here..."

[Haberdashery]

Supercalli...gistifragi..."

The Shepherd tries to repeat the amazing and oh-so-colorful name that just escaped the little gnome. He shuts his mouth, defeated, into a puzzled frown.

"I have lost myself in your words, Mr. Lucky Gno-" Shep pauses, "I am sorry, Pavick. You will always be the Lucky Gnome to me."

[Mando Knight]

"Nothing but hearsay. It's our word against theirs, though the human seemed to have been bullied into it by the half-elf. He might be more cooperative, but we tied him up anyway because he's the weak-willed sort that probably would have been goaded into attacking again had we made him follow us."

Collapsing on a chair, he puts a hand to his forehead. "At any rate, fighting the monstrous brute took a lot out of me, and I would like a good long trance before discussing all that went on."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Berrian smacks himself on the forehead "Of course, it's very late." He gives a two quick claps, and the Kobald answers the door. "Please show our guests to their quarters." Berrian tells the small creature, who bows deeply, and turns to you. "Follow me, good sirs."

He leads you upstairs and down a small hallway to two rooms. In one, are beds for Lucan and Eltain, and what looks like a bed/lounge chair for Aramil to meditate. In the other is a bed for Pavick, and what looks like two normal beds pushed together for Shep. "If there's anything you're needing, just ring." He motions to a small bell by each door, before scampering off.

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain spends some time staring out the window at the stars, praying to Corellon for guidance and strength, singing a few hymns quietly during his prayers. Afterwards he strips to his underwear and sits on the side of his bed.

"I envy you, Aramil. Since I'm half human, I have to sleep like humans do. It's always... Rather bothered me, I guess. It certainly isolated me from the others at the temple I grew up at..." He sighs. "Ah well, nothing to be done about it. Ugh, though I do need to do something about myself." He gestures to where his body is smeared with dried blood, most of it his, and wrinkles his nose in disgust. "I detest being unclean."

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick lets out a yawn large enough for someone ten times his size. He speaks to Shepherd as they are led to their room. "Naw, don't worry about it. I kinda like it when you call me lucky gnome anyway. Makes me feel, well lucky, I guess." He shrugs. "Speaking of which, is there something else I should call you. I guess I've just been calling you Shepherd because that's what you do. So what's your name anyway? I can't believe I've gone the whole day without learning it."

When they reach their room, Pavick takes a few minutes to ready himself for bed then clambers up onto the bed. He is easily able to stretch out in the center of the bed, with plenty of room to spare. "Sometimes it is good being small," he can't help thinking.

[Haberdashery]

The Shepherd sits upon one of the beds laid out for him; the bed underneath lets out a polite squeak of protest under his weight. He pulls down the hood of his shepherd's tunic, revealing his smooth bald head. From the base of his skull to the top of his forehead he runs his hand gently across it.

"The Shepherd is what most people call me," he speaks solemnly. "I don't know if I have a name." He pauses for a while, lost in some wispy trail of thought. "But you can call me Shep; I like Shep much better. The Shepherd feels too formal to me."

[Hzurr]

OOC - I'll give it a bit longer just in case Lucan or Aramil wanted to do/ask anything, then I'll go ahead and fastforward to the nighttime ambush

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard/MC ranger

Lucan lies down and yawns. "Well, eladrin don't sleep, but elves do, and I'm exhausted. G'night."

[Mando Knight]

"Good night, cousins."

Aramil reclines on the chair and begins to trance, fully aware despite the restfulness of the state.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

The next morning, you awaken to the sound of a soft knocking. The door opens, and the Kobald wheels in a small cart with a variety of foods on it. Nothing overly fancy, but the food is good, and fresh. He also provides a bowl of water for those who need to wash up. Once you finish, he escorts you back down to the study, where Tacitus waits.

The middle aged Dragonborn is leaning back in a large chair, flipping through several different parchments. A half-empty glass of wine sits next to him, and a dieing fire burns in the large fireplace. As you enter he looks up with a neutral expression. "Ah, welcome. Good work on recovering the cart" he holds up one of the papers in his hands, which appears to be an inventory list. "This will help offset the costs of a number of lost supply wagons." He sets the parchment down in a pile on the desk, and leans forward, his forearms resting on the table, and his hands folded together. "I'm holding the two guards you captured below. I'm sure they're being searched for, but their presence here is not widely known, so I don't expect it to be an issue."

He stands, and walks over to the fire, and begins prodding it with a poker, stirring the flames back up. "We've also had the opportunity to discuss matters with the halfling you brought yesterday afternoon. I think we have enough to make a move against Stephen Brownfoot. Not sure where he's currently hiding out, but I have some men looking into it." He gives a toothy half-smile. "From the rumors I'm hearing, it sounds like you really made a name for yourselves in the streets yesterday. I'm sorry I wasn't able to see it for myself." Satisfied with fire, Tacitus moves back to the large chair. "I understand you wished to speak to me about something?"

[Mando Knight]

Spoiler

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DM Post

No watch was set. Everyone has their throats slit during the night.

The End.

I object. Eladrin are fully aware during their trance.

Aramil nods. "Unfortunately, we uncovered evidence that a member of your family is behind this. The wagon we recovered had a letter sealed with a variant of your family crest and initialed O.R.. We're wondering if you knew anything about this before."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Tacitus arches an eyebrow in skepticism. "Let me see the letter." he says, extending a clawed hand.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard/MC ranger

Lucan hands over the letter. "As you see, the crest looks like an older version of what you currently use."

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OOC: Since I couldn't remember anyone else taking it, I guess I still have it.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Tacitus examines the paper for a moment, frowning at the comment. He gets to the signature, and the seal at the bottom of the page, and his eyes narrow. "What in Bahamut's name is th-" he cuts off very suddenly. His eyes widening briefly. He sets his lower jaw, folds up the letter, and places it inside his coat pocket. He looks back at you, his face wooden. "No, no one in my family sent this. What other leads do you have?" he says, his voice steel, but without emotion.

Insight DC 13:

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He most definately knows something.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard/MC ranger

Lucan looks at him curiously, the gears in his brain grinding in their stuttering way. Yes, yes, Tacitus does know something. Lucan decides to turn on the charm. "Sir, if you know anything that would help us, it would benefit you at least as much as us."

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Insight - (1d20+6)[19]
Use Words of Friendship
Diplomacy - (1d20+17)[22]

[Haberdashery]

Shep's eyes glaze over as Tacitus speaks. Whether or not his host is lying does not seem to even reach him; his consciousness is gone, beyond the trees, beyond the hills. He smells the approach of Spring, and feels the gentle ethereal breeze against his skin. The far-away braying of the goats echo in the recesses of his ears.

[Mando Knight]

"Our gnome friend here managed to get a name or two on the lower level and confirmed that the Drow are working with the perpetrators. I couldn't tell much else."
Insight - (1d20)[10]