The Wrong Guys IC

[Savannah]

Rana and Shadow wander off to find an unoccupied room.

[Jallorn]

I don't know, but it has something to do with real sorcerers' blood. All the signs are there. She spoke about putting effort into acquiring her familiar, her voice had an aura of power, sometimes. And everything we heard from her prisoner... Before, Antal had spoken softly, almost timidly, now, he was almost passionate, though there was still a degree of uncertainty and timidity in his voice.

[Strawberries]

Audric starts to reach for the ale, then changes his mind and pours himself a glass of water, shaking his head. "We noticed her voice, too. And Ranias spoke about her distilling the blood of her victims and drinking it. She could be distilling their magical powers, using some magic we don't know. Gods..." Audric appears deeply troubled.

"Her familiar...I don't know how she could have obtained it. Stole it, perhaps? But a sorcerer has a deep connection with their familiar, from what I know." he frowns, thinking.

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OOC: there you have it. Good enough reason if I check on Rana to have more information about what the cat said? Give him a couple of seconds to remember Rana spoke with it (or an helpful teammate suggesting it ).

[Jallorn]

With nothing left to say, Antal reaches for the water pitcher himself, and accidentally knocks it over, spilling water into Audric's lap. Sorry! he spouts, as he leaps to his feet.

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Yeah, I'm playing up Antal's uncertainty here a bit, but basically he feels out of control, and that's not a feeling he likes.

[Strawberries]

“That’s alright”. Audric dismisses the accident with a shrug, but gets up all the same and crouches to look the halfling in the eyes “Antal” he says, firmly. “You have to calm down. You’re of no use to your friend if you’re in this state. Think about what you can do to help him. Figure out more about what is it that we're facing, for instance.”

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OOC With all the randomness, Antal has a brilliant mind and it shows (he figured out Ranias, and now the stolen powers thing)...Audric would have noticed it.

[Jallorn]

Antal's eyes light up suddenly, he has had an idea, Got some spare paper and ink I could use?

[Strawberries]

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OOC: I'm posting, I'm posting. Sorry, but it is 2 a.m. where I am

Audric blinks, taken off guard for a moment. He doubts he'll ever be capable to follow the halfling's sudden shift in focus and mood. "Yes. Here." he takes the inkpen and paper he had laid out earlier, passing them to Antal "What do you need it for?"

[Jallorn]

Letter. Don't worry about it. Antal takes the supplies and heads off to a corner to write his letter in privacy.

[Strawberries]

"But what...very well." Audric decides to leave Antal in peace, for the moment. It has been a rough day for all of them. Looking around, he suddenly realizes Rana has left without saying a word. He hesitates, as if debating something with himself, then decides to go check on her. He heads towards the room he saw her go in, and knocks.

[Savannah]

There is a long pause, followed by a muffled "Go away."

OOC:

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So, how late are you planning on staying up, Strawberries?

[Strawberries]

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OOC: I slept 5 hours this afternoon (yay holydays!)... I'm not tired at all. Also: hello, pot, this is kettle. . But I'm going to bed soon-ish

You probably should have followed yur first instinct and left her alone. But he is there, now. May as well follow through.

"Are you alright? Do you need something?" he asks through the door.

[Savannah]

"I-I....it's nothing. Go away." Despite her words, she sounds near tears.

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Oh, I know I'm totally the wrong person to talk about people staying up too late. And I like the fact that you're up longer and we can play more But I just keep expecting you to have gone to bed each time you post!

Also, I've been waiting for the right opportunity for Rana to do this....there is a reason she's upset....

[Strawberries]

Audric frowns at the sound of her voice " Rana. Please open the door. You are obviously not alright"

[Savannah]

"Go. Away."

The door isn't locked, if you care to try it.

[Strawberries]

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no, of course he doesn't try the door, he'll go right back in the other room

"I'm sorry, that's one of the things I can't do " he mutters almost to himself, trying the door handle.

[Savannah]

The door opens - apparently Rana forgot to lock it. She's sitting on the bed, her pack open next to her. In one hand she's got a little necklace and her other arm is around Shadow's neck. She hardly seems to react to the door opening, just staring at the necklace, but Shadow gives Audric a "help me" look and squirms slightly.

[Strawberries]

Audric just stares awkwardly for a second, then quietly closes the door behind himself and approaches Rana. He is obviously uncomfortable, and unsure of what to say, but the wolf’s expression prompted him to stay. He never thought he’d see the day his actions would be decided by a wolf.

“What’s wrong?” he finally ventures to ask, in a subdued tone.

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OOC: Oh, just by force of habit and training, he'll Detect magic on the necklace, but I suppose he'll find nothing, right?

[Savannah]

Rana looks up at Audric, surprised. She releases Shadow's neck, and he shakes himself and licks her cheek, happier now that she let go.

Rana sighs and rubs her eyes with her free hand. "I was going to change my shirt....after all we've done today, it felt dirty, you know? A-and I found-" she stops and takes a deep, shaky breath. "My f- the man who raised me gave it to me. I'd just forgotten I had it. I must not have gone through my pack since I packed it." She takes another breath and smiles at Audric. "I'll be okay. Was there something you need?"

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Nope, no magic, just a simple amber necklace (well, unless Ajadea has done something funky with my backstory....)

[Strawberries]

“No. I just wanted to be sure you were well. There’s ale in the other room if you want – we’ll probably get something to eat as well.”. He bites his lips, then looks around for a place to sit. It seems like this is the night for him to lend an ear, if needed. First Antal, then Rana. If she doesn't tell me to go to hell first. “The man who raised you? The elf druid you told me of?”

[Savannah]

Rana laughs bitterly. "No. Just a woodcutter who lived in the woods and didn't have a child of his own. He was like you -- he didn't care that I was a half-breed." She sighs, and seems to be considering whether or not to put the necklace back in her pack.

[Strawberries]

Taking the fact that she is answering as a good sign, Audric decides to push his luck a bit more. "What happened to him?"

[Savannah]

"He's dead."

[Strawberries]

And if that isn't a clear sign for you to back off with the questions, I don't know what it is. Don't mess this up, will you?. Audric thinks to himself. He recognizes this is a delicate situation and is debating with himself if leaving Rana alone or not.

"I am sorry." he finally says, mentally kicking himself even as he says so. Of all the clichè, inadequate comments... "I...can leave you in peace, if you want. But I'm here if you need someone to talk to."

[Savannah]

"It happens. No point in fighting it. Just do what it takes to survive." She doesn't seem to believe a word of it.

[Strawberries]

Audric shakes his head "I can't believe that. And if you really believed that, you wouldn't have remained in the city, where it's a danger for you just to walk around.". His tone is far from reproaching. He has the tone of a man that is simply stating a fact.

[Savannah]

Rana grimaces. "What that sorceress is doing is enough of an affront against nature to justify any risk."

[Strawberries]

He nods, smiling slightly "On that we can agree.". He gets up from where he is sitting, taking a step towards the door, before turning again towards the druid "Would you come outside and eat something? We were discussing..." a pause, then in an almost amused voice "Actually, I'm not sure what we were doing. Antal was writing something. I doubt I'll ever understand him."

[Savannah]

Rana smiles, "Maybe in a minute. I still need to change my shirt."

[Strawberries]

"Very well. We'll wait for you." He leaves, closing the door behind himself, and returns to the other room.

[Ajadea]

Todd Quinlan, the stableboy, snatches up the letters as soon as they are finished and his shift ends, with a smile, a wink at the ladies, and a heartfelt promise to see them safely delivered.
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The next day, you awaken early. After a quick breakfast, likely with a side of worry, you prepare to leave for the sewers. Todd shows up a few minutes late "Got both your letters to the right places. Got a reply too, actually, for the shorty." He tosses a crumpled parchment, hastily folded, ripped around the edges, and sealed with yellowish wax, to Antal, and heads back out to the stables.

Rana needs a Disguise check.

Antal

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Hey bro,

First of all, about your Letter. Thanks for the heads up, we'll keep our eye out for the nasties. Really though, I can't believe you expect me to hide while the fishheads roam our turf. As for the bard, I'll keep an eye on her as well as I can. If she wants our help or not. Two eyes, if possible. Otherwise, Matti [DM's note: halfling rogue 1] will be there. Rissa will make sure of it.

Moving on.

Word on the streets is that Irena's dead. Don't see why anyone'd kill her, she was always so helpful, but it seems true enough. Trust my sources, they haven't proven me wrong yet. Lyle [DM's note: the dude who gave you the tadpole jar] seems jumpy lately. You probably noticed when he tried to stab your friend.

Watch out for the fishheads while you look for She, mmkay? For me? Gold is not everything, and your life's more valuable than heaps of it. Eyes to the sky.

Say hi to Mom for me.

Jallorn

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The code's fairly simple. First of all means that she's coded the letter, and you should find the first capitalized word. That is your X. Check the first X listed in each sentence, or the words right before and/or after it if necessary. Moving on is code for changing the X to the next word listed.

Say hi to Mom for me is a code meaning that you should not send a reply, and she'll contact you in the end.

Eyes to the sky is her sign.

Of course, the rest of the letter could be valid as well.