[4E] Adventures in Fallcrest - IC

[Haberdashery]

Proper insight or no, Shep trusts his shepherdly instincts above all else. Whether she is being honest or not, this woman needs to learn some manners, and some respect. She will remain hog-tied until Shep is certain that he has knocked both of them into her.

The Shepherd smiles at Kala, and repositions her with a roll of his shoulders which bumps her hard against his rocky, chiseled shoulder. He clamps a hand firmly over her behind.

"Let's not be so hasty."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Kala continues glaring, but doesn't ask again to be put down.

[Mando Knight]

Aramil
Noticing their prisoner is conscious, he walks up to Shep and addresses her. "I told you we weren't out to kill you, didn't I? And if Oedipus wants you dead, then we certainly can't have that, either. What is it that makes you so fanatically devoted to him that you'd rather kill yourself than submit to us, I wonder..."

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain joins Aramil. "And it will go much easier for you if you simply tell us what's going on to begin with, rather than forcing us to draw it out of you via... Other measures. I really don't want to have to take you back to our employer with instructions to wring it out of you physically. It's distasteful and does nothing to bring beauty to the world, and Corellon urges us to cultivate beauty in all that we do. In that vein, we seek to stop these foul activities and by doing so bring beauty to the world. So please, let's not resort to ugliness and pettiness. Tell us what's going on, and we'll see what we can do to help."

Spoiler

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Diplomacy: (1d20+13)[27]

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Kala spits at Aramil. "Don't you speak his name." she mutters, her voice venom. She shuts her mouth, refusing to speak another word, but at the Paladin's speech, she softens up a bit.

"You mean well, and I appriciate it, but there's nothing you can do to me. Even if you kill me, my master will bring me back. Your precious employer, with his house on the hill and his death grip on the city will recognize who his true heir is, and my master will set this city straight, and see that it is run by those who are truly capable." The tone in her voice leaves no doubt who she believes will be included in the list of the "truly capable."

[Mando Knight]

"I keep telling you, you've got it backwards. He wants you dead. If we wanted you dead, your corpse would be a pile of ashes right now. We knew Oedipus has a necromancer.

And anyway, a son who demands his inheritance from his father has no right to it at all, much less a bastard son who schemes and destroys in order to claim it."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Kala attempts to throw herself at Aramil, her teeth bared, but the ropes keep her firmly in place. "You don't talk about him like that!" she screams at the Eladrin, still straining at the bonds.

[Haberdashery]

Shep calmly repositions Kala with a firm, yet gentle hand. He pats her lightly on the head, as if calming an infant goat, while whistling softly. When he finally speaks, it is entirely kindly, if somewhat unintentionally patronizing.

"The strange elf woman--does she love Oedipus, hummm?"

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Kala stiffens. And quickly says in a too-loud monotone. "No, I am NOT in love with the master!"

Insight DC 8

Spoiler

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She's totally got the hots for him.

[Nai_Calus]

Insight: (1d20+5)[9] (OOC: Lawl.)

"Aramil, be careful. And try to be somewhat more discreet. It's obvious that she has deep feelings in these matters." He turns to her kindly. "I know how it feels, Kala, to feel deeply for someone and have it go seemingly unreturned. I've been there myself, and done foolish things for it, things for which I will never again see the place I grew up in. Things that I have come to... Regret. It was for a worthy cause, or at least one I felt worthy, but that does not change the fact that I should not have done what I did. You, too, do things you perhaps should not, due to your feelings. I understand, but I beg of you to reconsider before you too lose all you hold dear, as I did." His face and voice are sad, and he seems to be staring at something off in the distance that only he can see.

[Haberdashery]

The Shepherd scratches at his beard thoughtfully. Something troubles him about this whole arrangement, and he voices it quite plainly.

"How does that work, exactly?" He poses at Kala. "You are not the same species, correct? Dragonborn are reptiles, I presume, and you are a mammal. Doesn't that not exactly work?"

[Mando Knight]

"Ever seen a female dragonborn? Dragons aren't properly reptiles either, so I doubt dragonborn could be classified as reptiles."

Aramil looks around. "Eh, it's getting a bit late anyway. We could bring her to Rex's place." He looks back towards Kala, with a teasing smirk. "I bet your beloved Oedipus's dear old dad would love to show you the letter that your dragon-dumpling wrote about you."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Kala pauses, looking thoughtfully at the half-eladrin, but before she can say anything, Shep distracts her with questions of breeding. She grits her teeth as Aramil speaks, and prepares to answer the swordmage that she is starting to despise more and more, but just as she opens her mouth to scream at him again, she pauses and tilts her head thoughtfully, and her eyes narrow. "Wait...I have a proposition for you."

She leans forward as far the bonds will allow. "If you let me go now, I'll tell you what the plans are." She pauses, studying the group to see how this sudden shift is handled. With a smile, she adds "I should warn you, this information is time sensitive, and if you don't stop them, people will die."

[Haberdashery]

"Sometimes a goat must die so that the herd might live. A hasty decision always leads to spoiled milk." The Shepherd artfully combines two shepherding proverbs into a single cautionary statement. This elf is a tricky one--and the Shepherd would prefer to know where her true motives lie. He returns Kala's narrowed stare with a narrowed stare of his own, and continues to furtively scratch at the clump of tangled hair at the base of his chin.

"Tell me, funny angry lady, how do you feel about goats?"

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Knowing he has already ticked the elven woman off, Pavick decides it might be best for him to avoid joining in the questioning, at least for the time being. He listens with interest, but otherwise tries to stay out of Kala's line of sight. He barely manages to stiffle a groan at Shep's question about the particulars of Kala's romantic activities. "Tact. Someone needs to have a word or two with the Shepherd on that topic. And perhaps also on the birds and the bees, or rather the goats and the lizards," he thinks as he pulls a coin out of his pouch and begins rolling it back and forth across his knuckles.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard/MC ranger

Lucan watches the fascinating exchange with interest, but in the end, he has little more idea what's going on than he did at the beginning. He does try to puzzle out whether Kala's offer is sincere. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a clue whether it is or not.

Spoiler

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Insight - (1d20+6)[8]

[Mando Knight]

"It's to do with poisons and alchemy made in a lab under the brothel from goods smuggled in at night by you and the drow, and stored in a hidden cave in the woods, right?"

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Kala's focus is broken by Shep's question, and she looks at him quizzically. Aramil's question snaps her back, and you see her eyes widen slightly as the swordmage reveals how much they know. She takes a moment to smooth her face, before that cold smile returns. "You're well informed, but tell me," she gives a smug look, "What good is stockpiling poisons if you're never going to use it?" She readjusts herself on the rocky shoulder to glance at the position of the sun, then looks back at you with an unblinking smile. She has definitely overcome her rage from before, and is obviously deriving some pleasure from these taunts.



-Edit- forgot that Kala was still on Shep's shoulder

[Haberdashery]

OOC: Kala's over Shep's shoulder, not in a chair

At the brush off, Shep swats her on the forehead with a flick of his finger.

"No more misbehaving, I asked you a question, and I expect an answer. How do you feel about goats?"

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Kala scrunches up her face as the Shepherd thumps her. With an exasperated sigh, she tries to turn her head to look at the Shepherd. "I have no strong feelings for goats. They're smelly and hairy, and I prefer not to deal with them unless they have something to do with my meals." She shifts uncomfortably on the massive shoulder. "Really, can you put me down now?"

As she waits for the Goliath to lower her, her eyes go back to the party, particularly the Paladin, waiting for a response.

[Haberdashery]

The Shepherd thinks on this response for a surprisingly short amount of time, before he very gently takes Kala off his shoulder, and places her in an armchair. But rather than leave her be to the rest of the party, the Shepherd crouches down in front of her, his large shape obscuring her sight of his companions. His large, peaceful face looms inches from her own, and a blithe smile spreads across his face.

"We'll just have to do something about that."

He brings his index finger close to her forehead once more, and flicks the skin. Not hard enough to cause pain, but sharply enough to be easily noticeable.

"When the sun points to the east, and the shepherd wipes his brow, the goats file in line with the tap of the crook.

Again he flicks her forehead with a similar amount of pressure.

"The goat who walks in the shadow of the mountain falls to the jackals that lie in wait."

The finger collides with her forehead once more.

"The peaceful shepherd finds no muddy footprints in his pastures.

Flick.

"The shepherd climbs the great mountain, slowly, slowly.

Flick.

When the wind howls, and the clouds gather in the sky, the goats look to the west for the hood of the shepherd."

Flick.

"Sometimes the hungry wolf eats the careless goat. Sometimes the hungry shepherd eats the distracted wolf."

Flick.

"The lightning and thunder match not the fury of the violent hoof."

Flick.

"Ask not what the goat can do for you, ask what you can do to procure goat's milk faster."

Flick.

"Hoping for the sun to shine provokes only mocking bleats from the herd."

Flick.

"When the herd sleeps, the wolves peek their shaggy heads over the quiet pasture."

Flick.

"Only the shepherd can lead his flock through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his herd's keeper."

Flick.

"Over the mountains and under the hills, the shepherd's stride is flawless."

Flick.

"Live for the newborn goat, not for the goat who has seen many winters."

Flick.

"A disobedient goat is not unlike a hapless drunkard."

Flick.

"When the goats are feeling snotty, the shepherd had best stay in his cottage."

Flick.

"The shepherd's wrath is great indeed against the thief who steals his goat milk."

Flick.

"Watch not the eastern plains, for the wolves approach from the western mountain."

Flick.

"To kill one goat is to save the shepherd from the icy grip of winter's embrace."

Flick.

Send the messenger to the base of the valley, he calls patiently for the artful shepherd."

Flick.

"Should the cottage be dirty, the pasture will be filled with strife."

Flick.

"The unfortunate shepherd leaves his crook in strange places."

Flick.

"Walk the stones of the great mountain, the goat's plight you will soon understand."

Flick.

"Wear the skin of the wolf, the goats will fear your approach."

Flick.

"To feed the goats clover is to feed the old woman arsenic."

Flick.

"A shepherd without his sandals is a badger without a lower intestine."

Flick.

"Bring the flock to the edge of the mountain, let them gaze on the world below."

Flick.

"Only in peace can the shepherd garner the herd's respect.

Flick.

"Nothing's worse than a cheating kid."

Flick.

"A swift swat to the head corrects the naughtiest of goats."

Flick.

"The breeze heralds the coming of the spring, and the smell of the alfalfa."

Flick.

"A clover at hand is a goat in the pasture."

This continues over, and over, and over, and over...

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Kala flinches, and tries to ignore Shep at first, but before long she's wincing with each flick. "What the @#$%$ is wrong with you? What are you doing?" In between flicks, she looks to the other members of the party for some explanation.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard/MC ranger

Lucan just shrugs in response to Kala. "The good Shepherd works in mysterious ways."

[Nai_Calus]

"Will you stop that?" Eltain asks in exasperation. "This endless sniping and madness will get us nowhere. Leave her be. Now, please, Kala, help us before my companions drive both of us mad."

[Haberdashery]

The Shepherd holds his finger before another flick, poised at Kala's brow. He frowns.

"I suppose I could stop my lesson if she tells us what she knows." He scratches his beard and narrows his eyes at Kala in thought.

"Though I would rather continue. I have so many more proverbs I have yet to even begin to cover."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Kala eyes Shepherd warily, but directs her question to the Paladin. "If I tell you, I will be released?

[Nai_Calus]

"I cannot speak for them, and I'd be hesitant to do it myself, for fear of you embarking on a course born of passion that will bring you and others harm, but cooperation will certainly be a factor in our decisions regarding you."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

She starts to shake her head, but after a glance at the Shepherd, she sighs, and resigns herself. "My master has sworn that if he cannot have his rightful inheritance and rule this town as his father has, then he shall see to it that his father has nothing to rule either. There are 8 wells, and 3 aqueducts leading into the city, and we are under the instructions to poison or corrupt as many as possible tonight at dusk, unless Tacitus repents of his mistake."

She again leans, and tries to peer out the window at the sun. "That gives you only a couple of hours until the carts begin rolling out with the drow poison." She looks at you gravely, but you can see the corner of her mouth twitching slightly as she tells you this.

[Mando Knight]

"You do realize that this cements your 'master' as one of viciously vile will, correct? If this is how he thinks he can prove his worth, he will find that his only inheritance is death."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Kala doesn't look at Aramil, but in a low voice she mutters We'll see...