Death's End IC

[esorscher]

It takes Arran more than a few moments to realize where the voice is coming from. When he does, he removes the earring and catches up to Soryn and Sey to say quietly, "Your skill at tracking is better than mine, I don't doubt. I want to follow the trail tonight. I'd prefer if the Guild assigns us to follow after Marius, since we're going to tell them he's following the goblins, but if we have to do it absent sanction I've no objection. The First Principle may reserve vengeance, but the Tiernans say nothing of who is to be its instrument.

"This earring is a communication device between us and Marius's contact. I'll tell you her name after we debrief. Would you do me a favor, inform everyone else of this information quietly. I want to talk to her, and share what I learn before we reach the Guild. If we can find a quiet place to talk unobserved, that'd be best. If anyone wants to ask me--or me to ask, I mean--anything, write it down." He winks and steps back to follow the rest of the group.

"Quietus," he whispers after putting the earring back in his ear. He'll continue to whisper in a low voice as he follows behind at a safe distance. "I heard."

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Soryn chuckles, reminded of how much duller a human's senses were. "Good evening, Calia," he greets. Remembering the fight, he adds, "My compliments to you for your singing today - I found the elven verses particularly lyrical." He made a mental note of Sey's wishes to find a morgue - after he had completed his trancing, he would go about searching for one. Another human weakness, he thought, having to sleep for so long.

As Arran approaches him to tell him of the Tear and his plans for sneaking out that night, Soryn put his plans to find the morgue on hold. So much for talking it over with Ben first. He observes Arran's peculiar behaviour as he seemingly talks to himself like a madman, but after Sey's speculation and Arran's confirmation of it thereafter, Soryn expected it. He turns to Arran after he stops talking through the Tear. "Are you suggesting that I take the earring with me while I scout?" After all, it seemed to be the most effective method for him to relay the information to the others.

[esorscher]

Arran attempts to makes motions in order to indicate (hopefully) that he would like to find someplace other than a street en route to the guild to discuss it--some place indoors, perhaps, where he could write on wood with the chalk he has in his belt pouch.

[Sen isSaqqara]

"The question, really," notes Lirian (a few sentences too late, of course) as she pops up between Sey and Soryn, "Is of course whether or not you realized I was here." Her pride at her ability to move silently easily outweighs her natural tendency towards silence and fading into the background. She has always been of the opinion that taking care to note where each step falls makes for a more elegant, not to mention stealthy, way of moving. She practically learned to walk alongside Frost, and his movements had a distinct effect on her style.

[Lucretia]

Seychelles nearly pulled the wand of color spray on the catfolk. "No. Since Soryn and I left before you all, I figured we were somewhat alone. I see now that was a mistake. Well, with such superb skills at sneakery -- I'm sure Ben is hidden in the shadows somewhere, isn't he? -- future assignments should be far easier."

[Ajadea]

Calia smiles. "It's always good to have a backup skill set if things go wrong," she replies. "And thank you," she says to Soryn. "The spell takes effect with even the plainest melodies and most banal of lyrics, but I think such a display warrants a bit more." If she notices that she's fallen into a rather formal Elven, she doesn't seem to care. "We should head back to the guild."

[Lucretia]

"That's where we've been headed, although I suppose we could walk a touch faster. I'm just enjoying not being on an uncomfortable wagon in the middle of the wilderness."

[gallagher]

The thing is, if we tell the guild Marius is out investigating, then they may send someone to watch over where they expect him to be. I think they want him gone, he obviously knows something compromising. We best say we dont know where he is, or that he had business to attend to in the town, or not even bring it up.

I am not waiting until the morning. I say we sneak out at the dead of night. How many here are unskilled in hiding?

[Lucretia]

"Sneak out if you'd like," Seychelles said in a hushed tone, "but let's avoid discussing any of this further until we're not in the middle of a thrice-damned street, shall we?"

Stretching again, Seychelles felt Basil search around to see if anyone had taken an untoward interest in the group's conversation. "As for vacationing in Arva, Ben, I'm not particularly ready to return to my ancestors' home quite yet. Who knows what enemies of ours still lurk in the estate's ruins? The aforementioned but dismissed giant rodents, for instance."

[Sen isSaqqara]

"I'm not too good at hiding, but I can certainly sneak around when required, and run faster than most if it is necessary."

[Ajadea]

"I agree with that sentiment," Calia says with a tinge of slightly strained amusement. "And in any case, it doesn't exactly seem practical to draw attention to your skill at being inconspicuous."

[Lucretia]

"Oh, I hadn't even considered that!" Seychelles clasped her hands in amusement. "Adroit! Now, speaking of adroit, I've got a confession to make. I don't believe I've been told everyone's full name. Could we just quickly reintroduce ourselves, now that we aren't in the forest?"

[Sen isSaqqara]

"You know, I have a theory on that." replies Lirian. "I noticed that no matter how much you advertise your ability to sneak around, observers are equally bad at spotting you even when they know they should be looking harder. It fits into this great universal theory I'm working on, about the relationships between things in general. I'll explain it in more detail some time. Someone remember to ask me about it in the future."

To Sey, she responds as follows: "My name is Lirian Isepat of Aquinal. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

She carries both conversations equally, overriding each in turn as she is required to speak.

[gallagher]

People would have to strain to hear me, I rarely raise my voice higher than this whisper. As you may not have noticed, I was near you guys the whole time, and you barely noticed me. People pay attention to what they want, but skill is skill.

Anyway, my name is just Ben. I took on the title "of the Road" to signify my lifestyle. Any other name I ever had bears no meaning anymore.

After the debriefing, lets meet somewhere crowded and noisy, where we might be able to make a plan. For now, lets meet our boss and figure out what they might want.

[Ajadea]

"Calia Simore," she says, inclining her head slightly. Unlike the two before her, she does not offer her background up as well.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

"Soryn," he says simply. There was no need to complicate things - he had not used his family name for decades, nor does he plan to use it again. As with his old life, he left his surname with all that it entailed - in the past.

[3SecondCultist]

After several minutes of walking through the streets of Fiorne, your group finds itself in front of the Adventurer's Guild. A bulky and imposing edifice, it was clearly designed for defense. The outer walls are fortified stone and mortar in the imperial design - it seems as though the guild has long since appropriated one of the great keeps that the Justinians left behind. There are even murder holes along some of the walls. The double doors remain closed, and a pair of guards in guild livery stand watch in the street ahead of you.

Once they have ascertained that you are in fact members of the Adventurer's Guild, they call out to those inside. The doors open and close with the satisfying grinding sound of wood on stone. You walk into a small chamber, which is built somewhat into the ground. Two entrances into the guild headquarters proper are on the far left and right, at the top of narrow stone steps. This 'corridor chamber' is complete with its own set of guards, and a great deal of ammunition. Along the outsides have been placed the murder holes you noted earlier. While you have been in the guild headquarters before, it has yet to become familiar. However, you are not left to your own devices for very long, as a voice cuts into your silence.
"What's going on!? I heard about the surveyors and the driver, and the goblin prisoner just arrived." The speaker, a massive woman in full plate and a large blade over her shoulder, stands in front of you with hands on her hips. Her dark blonde hair has been put back in a ponytail, and her grey eyes survey you carefully. Even from a distance, one could only describe her as... plain. Her face scarred, and no great beauty for the bards to sing of. Her demeanor is authoritative, her voice commanding. You almost immediately recognize her as Aveline, one of the Fiorne guild leaders.

[esorscher]

Disappointed that the voice in his ear did not speak to him, and disappointed that they weren't able to find a place to confer privately before reaching the guild, Arran surreptitiously deactivates and pockets the earring. "I'm Arran Tuuth," he says just before they enter. The two u's are pronounced as in the word vacuum. "From Tyrolia." He thinks wistfully of home but knows he can never return.

To Aveline, he responds, "We were attacked by goblins, led by a hobgoblin, on the Sordanus Bridge. They killed two of our horses and would have killed us all had we let them. Marius returned with us to the gates and told us to debrief you; he did not tell us where he was going. I assumed on Guild business."

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Soryn stays quiet - with their de facto leader already addressing the guild leader, there was no need for him to chime in. Instead, he lets his eyes wander, taking in more details of the guild hall as best he can without being too conspicuous. The fact that Aveline was in full armor was not surprising - adventurer's donned armor almost as often as civilian clothing, if not more so. What did catch his attention was the fact that she had her sword seemingly ready and waiting over her shoulder. In a relatively secure environment such as the inside of the Adventurer's Guild, there should be no need for a naked weapon. No phallic implications there, he thought sarcastically, none at all.

Spoiler

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Spot and Listen checks for the hell of it, in case I can see or hear anything with my keen senses:

Spot: (1d20+10)[12]
Listen: (1d20+10)[18]

[Lucretia]

"We were hoping the goblin might surrender information as to why we were attacked," Seychelles added, the normal look of ennui absent from her face. "I don't believe the caravan was targeted specifically, but that these were the vanguard for a larger invasion. The Sordanus Bridge is a choke point, one that has been overlooked through history -- perhaps an orc rallyman decided to change that. My suspicions can only be confirmed through the prisoner at the moment."

[gallagher]

Ben stands there, taking in the surroundings. It is important to gain a good idea of the situation before speaking.

Spoiler

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sense motive: (1d20)[2]
spot: (1d20)[18]

[3SecondCultist]

Aveline nods slowly to everything she has heard. Straightening her posture almost subconsciously, the warrior turns on her heel and begins to head up the stone stairs. She leads the six of you into the main chamber of the guild headquarters. This section is remarkably different from the vestibule you just left - dark, richly polished wooden floorboards mark the guild's decor, complementing the dark stone pillars and walls. Here and there a torch glows, offering a ruddy light to the overall atmosphere. There are two large open archways at opposite ends of the chamber, leading into other halls that make up the vast majority of the guild's first floor. Directly ahead of you are the walls of what look to be a closed off inner room and a flight of stairs that leads presumably to the second floor of the guild. Aveline turns back to face your group.
"Well ladies and gents, it's that time. While this is the least favorite part of my job, it's necessary in order to keep proper records and to get all the details straight. The rest of you can get settled in, this may take a couple of minutes." She looks over your faces once more before picking out Soryn and Ben and beckoning them forward. Aveline then leads them into the inner chamber, closing and locking the door behind her.

Ben, Soryn: As Aveline closes the door, you can get a better look around. This inner room is somewhat small, but somehow someone managed to fit a lovely desk of identical wood in here. Bookshelves mark the walls, and there is what looks to be a closet in the far corner. It would seem that this is the main office of the Fiorne Adventurer's Guild branch. After closing the door, Aveline moves behind the desk to join another figure who sits there. The first thing you notice about him is that he is half-elven, his features not quite defined enough to join the ranks of Soryn's people. He wears no armor that you can see, instead having donned a simple tunic and vest. His skin is somewhat dark, but his eyes are bright. Unlike his compatriot, the half-elf's dark hair is cropped very short. In front of this half-elf is a sheet of parchment and a jar of ink, and his long fingers clutch a stylus. The two of you also recognize him as Caius, the other leader of the Adventurer's Guild.
"You're all here, so we can begin." He marks out the current date and writes out a heading.
"Let's start with a general retelling of events, and then we can move on to more specific questions that Aveline or myself might come up with. Does that sound reasonable?"

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For a couple of minutes before you headed into the command office, both of you had noticed that several other guild members were eying your public conference with some interest. However, you did not discern any ulterior motives from Aveline or anyone else present. No sounds other than guild members patrolling or walking around were evident to either of you.

[esorscher]

"I'm going to find out where the goblin is. Anyone interested is welcome to join." He heads down into the dungeons and looks for someone to ask about the goblin's whereabouts.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

The choices Aveline had made surprises Soryn. Of anyone in the group, Arran was, being at the front, most alike the leader. Yet she had instead picked two of the more diminutive figures of the group. Suspicious, he followed her in.

As the door closes behind him, Soryn tenses. But at the sight of Caius, Soryn's demeanour softens a little - he would not have to deal with humans exclusively. He is part human, he sullies the elven blood! Kill him! Annoyed, he pushes the voice from his head again. Remembering what they had agreed upon earlier, Soryn relays the information. "As we crossed the Sordanus Bridge, we were ambushed by a band of goblins. They killed the horses of the first two wagons before we had adequate time to respond. From what we could tell, the band was headed by by a bugbear - Arran was mistaken in identifying the leader as a hobgoblin. Marius had taken the initiative to track down whoever might still be lurking around that is connected to this incident." Soryn stops, looking to Ben to see if he had anything to add.

[gallagher]

They were well positioned for an ambush, I normally expect the tactics of goblins to be less formal. They attacked at the front of the bridge, preventing forward progress, and attacked from the back mainly with archery.

They would have easily taken control of the encounter if they were a few more in number, which would be typical of an ambush intended for raiding and running off with whatever they can get their hands on. Their strategy belies traits of organized, concerted thought; they were definitely after something

[3SecondCultist]

Ben, Soryn: As the both of you finish your relations of what happened, Caius and Aveline share a look. She nods wordlessly, and he finishes his sentence on the page. As he does so, Aveline looks back to the two of you.
"I have several more questions about the goblins themselves. We know by the weapons and armor you brought back that they were well equipped, but how was their demeanor? Did their attacks or the way they held themselves display any of this 'organized thought' you speak of, or was that simply intuition based on an assumed larger strategy?"

Calia, Lirian, Seychelles: As the three of you stand in the great hall, you hear someone shout in your direction - a female dwarf in what looks to be studded leather armor. She wears her hair in braids and has a tattoo over one side of her face. On either side of her stand two considerably large figures, who you would assume to be warriors by their stature and armor.
"We just heard about what happened. Is it true about Tinus? The driver at the front of the caravan, is it true that he died on your watch?"

Arran: Remembering the layout of the guild headquarters from before, you successfully make your way back into the vestibule and down the stairs into the dungeons. Once there, you find yourself in a bare stone anteroom, lit by a single torch. Ahead of you extends a long and dark corridor marked on both sides by cell doors. However, barring your way is a small desk, behind which is sitting a bulky half-orc. He grunts in your general direction, as if to inquire after your purpose in the cells.

[Lucretia]

Seychelles had no idea what the commoner's name had been, or whether he had been the one to die or another, so she'd let Arran answer this question. He seemed like the sort to know people's names.

EDIT:

To her surprise, Arran wasn't there. She'd drifted off into thought, hadn't she? Without Soryn to keep her on the ground, loftier thoughts of morgues and experiments filled the cloud of her mind. Turning her attention to the dwarf, Sey realized Calia was still there, so she'd be able to answer.

[Ajadea]

Calia takes a half-step forward - with Soryn and Ben gone, and their somehow de facto leader off to the dungeons, she is probably at the very least best handled to deal with these situations. "Yes," she says with a small, slow, nod. "The attack was very sudden. Marius and Ben were in the back, and I was unable to reach Tinus quickly enough to stabilize him." Though her words are matter-of-fact, her tone makes it clear she feels guilty about his death.

[esorscher]

"I'm looking for the goblin that just came in," Arran says to the half-orc.

[gallagher]

It is merely intuition. They were well equipped, utilized strategy, and targeted the caravan at the moment it was most vulnerable. If it hadnt been planned out, it must have been one heck of a coincidence