The Wrong Guys IC II

[Nanoblack]

Llaars

Watching everyone silently disappear to their hiding places, Llaars props himself against a wall within arms reach of Audric. "Are you sure you want them to see me? Seems like the less they know, the better."

[Ajadea]

With a boost from Audric, Antal scrambles onto the high, willow-draped wall and out of sight. Rana, Jess, and Tayet are forced to climb over a large awkward chunk of crumbled wall in order to get to the other side. If anything goes wrong, under the current plan, Antal, Llaars, and Audric will be forced to fend for themselves at first if Yistin turns out to be hostile. But the wall does seem thick enough to block magical detection, at least.

Antal

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Roll Hide and Balance.

[Strawberries]

Audric thinks about it for a second, then shrugs "You are not a magic user, your presence wouldn't be regarded as unusual." Plus, he does appreciate the support. "But it is your choice"

[Ajadea]

Antal

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Quietly, stealthily, you hide yourself completely in the willow branches... and promptly, silently, fall over the other side of the wall. No damage, but you do have a small problem now.

[Nanoblack]

Llaars

"It's your people we're dealing with here, I'll stand by your choice." He doesn't move from his position nearby leaning on the wall. Crossing his arms, Llaars looks toward the sky to get a gauge of how much longer until the creepy old man arrives.

[Ajadea]

You wait for about 10 minutes when Sir Yistin makes an appearance. He doesn't look like the sort of guy one would suspect of the sort of things you are fairly sure he did. He is human, perhaps a couple inches shorter than Audric, though slightly broader in the shoulder. His hair is an unfortunate dusty brown color, faint wrinkles line his face, and his eyes are underlined with dark bags. Yistin looks woefully unprepared for anything resembling a confrontation - a chain shirt is his only armor, half-hidden under badly wrinkled clergy's robes. He has a sword, that clatters against his legs as he walks, but no shield.

"Sir Audric?" His voice is stronger and deeper than his rather mousy appearance would suggest. "I understand you have come across some potentially harmful rumors that could damage both my honor and the honor of the order. No doubt spread by the witch Sandry. If you could explain to me what lies the sorceress has spread, I am sure that all this could be cleared up. You have dealt with her, I assume?" He looks almost apologetic, and keeps fiddling with the sleeves of his robe.

[Strawberries]

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((OOC: I [i]won't[i] detect magic at the moment, as I feel it would be too meragamey for me to: he is a paladin and Audric can't fathom him being anything else. But I wonder... ))

This time, Audric doesn't correct the term of address in 'just Audric', but sticks to the formalities "Sir Yistin" he says by way of greeting. He is tense, and it can be perceived in his voice, as well . He gestures towards the brawler "This is Llaars, an ally and a friend"

"Sandry is under my custody, as I mentioned. But yes, she did move some...accusations towards you. Some very dire accusations, at that. " he takes a breath "She accused you of having abducted and killed a human child, three years ago. The child's name was Fiona, and she claimed she had no magic abilities at all" Audric is trying very hard to keep his tone neutral.

[Ajadea]

"Fiona Darrins? Mmmh." Yistin nods, pressing his lips together. "A grain of truth can make lies so much more insidious. The Darrins girl was my apprentice about three years ago. Very bright child. She was committed to the temple, as is the standard, you will find." He pauses to rub his eyes. Upon closer inspection, the man looks positively exhausted. "You aren't from around here... look, this is a very large city, and the temple is rather small. We are short-staffed enough as it is - it's easier to take apprentices, teach through example, than to maintain dedicated classes. And inquisition is one of the more, ah, dangerous branches of our Order. The sorcerer I had cornered chose to die rather than surrender. I survived through the good grace of Aldaran. She was not so fortunate." He sighs. Or yawns. Perhaps both. "It is in the nature of the arcanist to lie and trick - I am not surprised Sandry would blame the Order for the failings of her kind."

[DeafnotDumb]

Behind the wall, Jess tenses but thankfully does not make any noise. Her eyes search out exit routes and her hands are balled into fists, and she's staring as if she could kill Yistin through brick and mortar with just her glare.

[Strawberries]

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Sense motive (1d20+9)[24]
Well, I know he is lying and Audric knows he is lying, but just in case he can pick up something more

Audric's gaze hardens. The other paladin is obviously spinning a tale...and not even a well-conceived one at that. The most definite proof of that is that he is aware of Sandry being a sorcerer, and yet, she is still alive and free... unconceivable, unless her blackmail material was sound.

The paladin, however, knows a tiny bit about interrogation, so he doesn't lay all the weight of his evidences on the other man... not yet, at least. It's better that he tangles himself up in his own lies: easier to call him out on them. "I went to speak to her mother. She didn't commit her to the Temple, we come forward and asked for her. That is not exactly a standard practice, in my experience." His tones becomes colder by several degrees, as he adds "Plus, she didn't see her child even once since you took her away, and she has no idea of what happened to her. Any reason why you kept her daughter's fate from her?"

[Ajadea]

Audric

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Yistin probably isn't being completely truthful. No big shock there. Though what he says actually does sound plausible, or it would to someone who didn't have the evidence you do. Arcane explosions are not exactly unheard of (it is one of the many reasons sorcerers are considered dangerous), and Fiona was young enough for such an thing to be very fatal indeed. He has probably recited this lie before, and others have obviously gone along with it, or he would not be free as he is.

Jess, Tayet, Rana

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Is the wall... cracking? Because it almost looks like it is. Not that it wasn't damaged before. But it looks a bit worse now, somehow.

Yistin answers immediately, without hesitation. He seems to be unaware of Audric's tense posture and hardened gaze. Or maybe he just doesn't care. "Again, we have far less paladins here in Diamond Lake than in Attalin - sometimes we must be more proactive in recruiting. And the Darrins girl had the right qualities - perceptive, willful, good health. It is a shame she is gone... she had the potential to be very powerful indeed. We wrote the family of Fiona's death, of course, and I paid personally for her burial. I'm afraid I don't know if anyone told them in person of what happened."

[Strawberries]

Audric shakes his head "Yistin" He has dropped the 'sir' "The child was buried in un unnamed patch of ground. I have seen the documents. And I've seen the other ones as well. You never had an apprentice named Fiona Darrin, you forged her papers and changed her name." He looks at the other paladin with an expression that is a mix of disgust and anger "I thought I would give you a chance to explain instead of dragging you in front of the Order, but you haven't said a single word that wasn't a lie. Drop the charade now, Yistin. I am not in the habit of accusing a brethren without solid evidence-and the sorceress provided it to me."

[Nanoblack]

Llaars

As the lies begin to unravel before Yistin, Llaars shifts his balance so that he's leaning slightly forward, ready to pounce if Yistin were to try to draw his weapon. The incessant tugging at his sleeves also draws Llaars' attention.

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Spot to see what he's doing with his hands? (1d20)[14]

[Ajadea]

Llaars

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As far as you can see, Yistin is fiddling with his clothing because he is nervous - the only things up his sleeves are his arms.

Yistin's eyebrows shoot up halfway through Audric's tirade. "And you believe the sorceress over the testimony of a comrade-in-arms? Her kind are liars, without exception. Or..." His eyes gleam, unfocus and focus too intensely all at once. It lasts for but a second. Then Yistin freezes, the color abruptly draining from his face. For several seconds, he doesn't even seem to breathe. A whisper escapes his lips, strangled and pained. "What are you?" His words are barely audible, scarcely more than an exhale. His fingers tighten around the hilt of his sword, but he seems to be in too much shock to act.

[Jallorn]

As the conversation turns bad, Antal decides to throw caution to the winds, and goes for broke, attempting to climb the willows to get over the wall.

Climb:(1d20+1)[7]

[Strawberries]

"I believe solid evidence when I see it with my own eyes, regardless of who shows it to me. I..." he stops abruptly at Yistin's reaction, but immediately understands what it is about "I am a paladin of Aldaran, as you are." Even if, after what he's done, he loathes to refer to the other man as a paladin. He unslings his backpack from his shoulder and passes it to Laars, silently asking to hold it for him for a second "If you try again, you will see that what you are perceiving is not my magic, is part of the mission that brought me here. Now answer my question, Yistin. If you have any shred of explanation for what you've done, I am willing to listen. On account of you being a brother-in-arms."

[Ajadea]

Yistin does not relax in the slightest, and he does not release his death grip on the pommel of his sword. "What in the name of the sun do they teach you in that temple? Conjurations, illusions, transmutations. A sorcerer's gift is false, and the same holds true for whatever evidence they may provide to tarnish the good name of the order," he says through gritted teeth. "The truth has been told. I do not need to defend myself against such ridiculous accusations." He sighs. "I presume you have already dealt with the witch. Attalin has not fallen nearly that astray."

[DeafnotDumb]

At the sight of the degrading wall, Jess closes her eyes and attempts to calm herself, but soon she's opened them again with an expression of surprise. She's not looking at where Yistin's voice is coming from, but rather in Audric's direction, as if the paladin has a second head on his body and she's only just noticed.

[Strawberries]

"I have been taught the same things you have, which includes how to detect magic deception. There was none." If possible, Audric's voice has grown even colder. "I am not letting this go, Yistin. I am fully prepared to involve the rest of Order in this. If you will not defend yourself in front of me, you will have to do that in front of a church tribunal."

[Nanoblack]

Llaars

Losing contact with the wall as Yistin reaches for his weapon, Llaars takes a step forward, eyes locked on the priest. "So then why was she a he in your paperwork. And don't try and blame it on bad handwriting, this went on too long for that!" If that blade moved any further, he was going to make Yistin regret it.

[Ajadea]

Antal

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You fail to climb the willow tree, slipping and falling a few feet up. However, Yistin seems far too worked up to notice the sounds of your attempt.

As Llaars takes a step forward, Yistin takes half a step back. "Forgeries then, or blatant lies. Your accusations are enough to prove her powers of compulsion and trickery. Did you even kill the witch? Or are you so far lost that you cannot even manage one of the most basic duties a paladin must perform?"

[Nanoblack]

Llaars

Another step forward, frustration now showing more than ever, Llaars points his finger to the center of Yistin's chest. "No, you beat around the bush with Audric. You're talkin' to me now. Explain the unmarked grave."

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I think Intimidate might be appropriate? (1d20+10)[20]

[Strawberries]

There is a flash of... something, in the paladin's eyes, when Yistin mentions that killing witches is one of the most basic duties a paladin must perform. Something half between hurt and anger - that has been a low blow, and it is clear that at least some of it has hit the target as intended. But Audric is too angry to dwell on it for too long at the moment. "Out most basic duty is to protect innocent people, Yistin. Children first of all, and if you hurt that girl, you are not worthy of being called a paladin. Now answer Llaars' question."

He fights the urge to tell the brawler to calm down - he's known him long enough to realise that Llaars isn't going to attack the other man first, no matter how aggressive his whole stance may seem.

[Ajadea]

Yistin is very obviously shaken by Llaars' sudden aggression, and Audric's anger only worsens that. "A - an unmarked grave? She could have dug up any poor soul's bones, and named them as the girl's. That proves nothing, less than nothing." He is obviously shaken by the line of inquiry. "I never hurt her. I never caused her a moment of pain. It is my deepest regret that she died." Somehow, he does actually sound guilty in the last sentence, though that could mean any number of things.

Antal

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You scramble up into the lowest branches of the willow, but are unable to get far enough up that you can surmount the wall.

(OOC: The SRD says the DC is 15)

[Savannah]

Rana fidgets behind the wall, wanting Audric to hurry up. She's careful not to make any sound, however, despite her impatience.

[Strawberries]

"STOP." It's more than anger, now, it's something closer to naked fury, and Audric is actually shouting, something none of you remembers ever seeing him doing. "There is your signature under the burying contract, I have seen her bones, her parents can recognise her remains, and that's only some of the incontrovertible evidence I have against you, now STOP LYING TO US!"

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((Told you:when calm, level-headed people get angry, usually there's case to worry. ))

[Ajadea]

Yistin flinches, but somehow stands his ground. "I told you! I took Fiona for an apprentice, I trained her, and yes, I paid for her grave. Of course I did. What would you have had me do, leave her to rot on the riverbed? She d-deserved better. I did everything I could for her. I would have given her everything she ever could have needed..." His eyes are averted. He shakes in his boots.

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Remember the rule? Never give your DM ideas. Never, ever, give the DM inspiration. Because I might like them better than my original plan.

[Strawberries]

Audric tries very hard to calm down, before doing something he may end up regretting. He manages...barely: he isn't shouting anymore, but his voice is still of a man very close to losing control of his emotions. "On the riverbed, you say. Tell me what happened. Fiona Darrin, Yistin." He tries to bring the other paladin to look at him with the mere weight of those last three words. "Faolan Darrin, according to your papers. Tell me why, and do not dare trying to tell me again that the sorceress cast a spell on me."

[DeafnotDumb]

Yistin's new words have not had a calming effect on Jess. Her eyes have narrowed and she's skinned her knuckles on the wall, and is breathing heavily like she just might burst - a metaphor that hopefully won't become literal, considering that she is a sorcerer.

[Savannah]

Rana reaches out and lightly touches Jess' wrist. She shakes her head and puts a finger to her lips to indicate silence.

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Now I'm really curious what the original plan was...