The Dark Holiday [IC]

[Atemus]

Asmith sits on the side of his bed, rubbing his eyes. Bad dreams again, ugh. He stands up, dressing himself before quickly making his way to Professor Reno's office.

[Debatra]

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Adeak makes two copies of Alisan's seal out of the matching color* wax; one for his papers, and one to re-seal the letter.

On the letter, he intentionally makes the slightest imperfection in the seal, before giving it back to Aldo. "See to it that this reaches its intended recipient. While you're there, tell him that a friend heard he's looking for a bodyguard and is interested in the job. If anyone asks, this friend's name is Clev Denson."

*Incidently, what color is it?

[veven]

Brynn finds the Captain's easy demeanor off-putting.
How can he be so casual with the smell of blood and searing flesh still heavy on the air? She sighs. Oh well, this job isn't exactly working out anyways.
"Yes sir, I'll be there."
Brynn gives a salute and sets out toward her home.

[Orison]

Adeak

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After a while, Aldo returns with the items you requested. Pulling out a sack and dumping the contents into your hands, you clutch a small brick of vibrant green sealing wax, a smaller white lump and dark purple lump. Aldo begins to explain:

“I looked for exactly what you asked for, but I couldn't find the same pale lavender color wax that Alisan uses. I got the white and purple in hopes you might be able to mix them. As for the 'oak leaf green', I asked for it, got a few confused looks before being directed to the green wax I have for you now. I hope this helps!”

Taking the letter from you, Aldo gives and enthusiastic nod and zips back out the door.

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You will need to roll an untrained craft check to mimic the seal and mix the waxes.

Brynn

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“Ahh, wonderful my dear. I do hope you'll wear something a bit more flattering to your femininity, though. Your uniform will not be required.” The Captain calls out as you leave.

You make it home as quickly as you left, it seems; and soon find yourself in the sanctity of your kitchen. Not a moment too soon either, as your stomach lets out a loud gurgling protest regarding the absence of food.

Asmith

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Heading into Professor Reno's office, he looks surprised to see you walk in.

“Oh, Asmith! What brings you here so early? No doubt you received my letter! What can I do for you?

[veven]

Brynn cooks herself a simple meal and begins rifling through her clothes. What am I doing? she thinks almost immediately. She kills a couple of hours buried in a stack of books and then leaves for dinner, fully armed and armored.

[Debatra]

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(1d20+3)[18]

..........

[Orison]

Amber rays of twilight begin to stretch across the region. Lights can be seen blinking on all over the city of Akhet, lighting it up like a brilliant mass of multicolored fireflies. Delsan on the other hand, looks like a dim glow by comparison; the quiet oasis town beginning to turn in for the night with the sun, while Akhet bursts with life.

Brynn:

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You arrive at the Banquet hall right on time, however, right out front you see a familiar, yet surprising-to-see face.

"Well hey there lass! Mighty fine evenin' it is! What a pleasure it is seein' you here, Sergeant Dreylyn!"

Exclaims the portly, boisterous owner of the local Tavern, The Red Moon: Stefan Stormbrew. Next to him you see his son who's name escapes you, in somewhat ill-fitting black finery.

Stag

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You Arrive just a few moments before the scheduled dinner with the Captain of the Guard. Overwhelmed by the strangeness of the situation, you feel slightly annoyed, yet still somewhat comforted by Stefan's incessant ramblings about dinner etiquette, and his reminder to keep thinking about wide, open, spaces.

Stefan pauses for a moment and looks past you He squints and you see he's looking at a woman in armor bearing the symbol of the guard. You recognize this woman as the primary guard stationed at the post just outside The Red Moon, though you do not remember her name. Your brief thoughts are broken as Stefan shouts:

"Well hey there lass! Mighty fine evenin' it is! What a pleasure it is seein' you here, Sergeant Dreylyn!"

Adeak:

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Aldo returns late in the afternoon, just before the sun starts to set.

"Boy, that sure was a hassle. I delivered that letter no problem. The man gave me a very odd look, but he took the letter all the same. Musta been 'cause I was so late on deliverin' it."

He elbows you jokingly as he says this, then continues with a more serious tone.

"Unfortunately, on my way back, I noticed one of those 'Pit Viper' gang nothings rootin' for some loot outside the merchant alleys. Well, he spotted me and started tailing me. Not long after I saw two more of his buddies following with him. It took a while but I lost them."

He sighs and hands his head low, His voice growing even more somber.

"Ever since Emylese picked that fight with that Pit Viper outside our turf, they've been trying to get back at us. Hard."

As soon as his words finish, a loud, forceful knock greets your door. 'WHAM, WHAM, WHAM!!!', the sound rings out...

And again; 'WHAM, WHAM, WHAM!!!', this time followed by a rough, sardonic, crooning voice:

"We know you're in there, Littlepants!"

Lilian:

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As you go about finishing your daily duties, a priest throws himself at you, sobbing, and begging for help. His words are at first entirely lost by his weeping, but you soon begin to get the gist..

"Hnnn; Snff, snrk; The- unnn...I-I-I..I did someth-th-thing bad-Ahahhgh! Blehengh Snf..Shkf Snrf...A s-spell went ba-ad. I ma-haaha...Made a..ZOMBIE! H-help m-m-me, please, A-Advisor! Eha-aheh-aGhe-he, snkf, snf I be-be-beeseech you! I a-asked the other priests and th-they said to s-seek you!"

He seems to compose himself; if only for a moment, before he collapses again into a mess of tears.

[Blade Conduit]

Stag feels, once more, the blood pulsing through him and quickly becomes very worried but then slowly begins to realize this is not anger but a much different feeling. A feeling like the time he had way too much to drink at the The Red Moon and ended up making a fool of himself. The look Stephan gave him, especially when he said "Dissapointed" had made Stag feel this way. All these people all this commotion and these very odd clothes made Stag feel very out of place.
All of sudden Stag remembers something Stephan had said about introducing one's self. He hold his right arm across his chest and bows, somewhat clumsily.
"Stag, At your service!" As he raises back up he wonders if maybe he might have said that a bit loud because a few people nearby have turned their heads to see what's going on. Crud

[Debatra]

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With a sigh, Adeak tells Aldo to head out the back, but to stay where he can hear what's going on in case he's needed. With that, he clears anything incriminating from view, takes up his axe and heads for the door.

"And who the hell is 'littlepants'?" he yells to the door.

[Jedora]

Lifting up the Priest to his feet, she pulls out a cloth from her pouch and hands it to him to wipe his sloppy face. "For goodness sake man pull yourself together. I will need you if we are to take care of this fellow and I can't have you acting as if the sun were going to fall from the sky. Now..." she begins with a smile, "Where did you leave them, and please tell me you didn't leave them alone or unsecured."

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Diplomacy (1d20+4)[6] To have him assist.

Also using a Knowledge Religion (1d20+5)[13] to determine his Priesthood.

[Orison]

Adeak:

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Aldo darts to the back door and stops dead in his tracks after peering out the window briefly.

"they're coming 'round the back, too!" He whispers in a frantic voice.

The voice outside the door replies in the same gruff, yet this time somewhat surprised tone;

"Well now, looks like little Aldo found himself a friend! Why don't you just open this door on up for us. We'd just like to talk to him."

Lilian:

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The priest, still sobbing; starts to collect himself. He looks to you to be early on in his training as you look over his robes, still bearing the symbol of an initiate. After a moment; the initiate priest begins to speak a bit more clearly.

"N-no...No. I don't think I can go back. I-I'll be of no help, I can assure you. I will take you to the preparation room in the temple under-croft. Snf..That is where I locked the creature. I will take you there, but no further. Snf, Hrnk...In fact, I plan to leave immediately after I take you there...This whole ordeal has made me very tired..."

[Debatra]

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How old is Aldo?

Don't try to guess me; just go with it for now.

[Orison]

Adeak

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Aldo is a young adult halfling. You don't know his actual age in years, but you assume him to be in his mid 20's.

[Jedora]

"That is fine, but we must discuss later as to what it is that went wrong, I may not always be here to clean up after these events after all. Lead on."

[veven]

Taken aback by the jovial greeting Brynn stumbles over her words, "H-Hello, Mr. Stormbrew." She offers a polite nod to his son "How are you doing this evening? You wouldn't happen to know why we are here, would you?"

[Orison]

Brynn & Stag

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Stefan chuckles heartily and speaks in the same joyous tone you've grown familiar to.

"Well, my boy here got invited to dinner by the Captain of the guard! Of all people! How odd it seems, but no doubt a good opportunity for the lad."

He elbows Stag jokingly as he speaks.

Lilian:

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The priest gathers himself off the ground and brings you to the hall of the Great Temple. He leads you deep into the under-croft's preparation area and brings you to a heavy iron door to one of the prep labs. You hear a faint pounding on the door and as you turn to the priest, you see him darting out toward the way you came.

[Jedora]

She tells her skeleton to draw his weapon and prepare to attack on her signal.

"Lock the door on the way out, don't want anyone wondering in. Also tell me, who or what is on the other side anyway?" she says as the priest begins his retreat.

[Debatra]

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With a quick wink to Aldo, the Tiefling calls out: "What did that dumb kid do this time?"

Bluff: (1d20+4)[17]

[Orison]

Lilian:

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The priest is out the door before he can respond. As it slams shut, you hear the resounding 'CLACK' of what you imagine to be the door's lock. You continue to hear the faint, droning 'thud, thud, thud', of the unknown beast on the other side of the prep room door.

Adeak:

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Aldo smiles sheepishly and nods as the voice on the other side of the door barks in the same sarcastic roughness.

"Littlepants and his 'little gang' caused us some trouble recently. We aim to even the score. Sure hope you ain't tryin' to get in our way..."

[Jedora]

Letting out a nasally sigh, she turns and faces the door. 'Shouldn't be too difficult.' thinking to herself as she begins waving her arms openly, casting a set of spells.

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Lillian will cast Hide from Undead on both her and her skeleton. If this goes uninterupted then she will have both her and her skeleton draw their weapons and on either side of the door have the skeleton open said door to see what is on the other side. They will not directly attack until it has been seen what this undead is or was.

[Orison]

Lilian

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You prepare yourself and reach for the key stuck in the door's lock. You hear a 'Click, click, click, Clnk!'; as you disengage the lock on the door. Stepping back, you motion your Skeleton forward to open the door; which groans loudly as it creaks in it's iron frame.

Before it can open much; the door is grasped from the inside by a rotten, grey-fleshed hand. It pulls the door open and before you stands a rotting husk of a man. It looks as though he had been down here for some time, and not preserved; before this priest had begun to work on him. His skin sloughs off in greasy piles around his feet as he stands swaying in the doorway, otherwise motionless.

[Jedora]

Stepping back from the Zombie and to the left (10 feet away), she tells her skeleton to move to the right of it, and prepare to attack on her command. When in position, she gives the command to to strike.

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Attack (Lillian)(1d20+1)[5] Damage [roll]1d10+1
Attack (Skeleton) (1d20+3)[8] Damage (1d8+3)[5]

[Orison]

Lilian

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The rotting man moans in confusion as he flails around briefly. His strikes come dangerously close to your skeleton, though they are inaccurate and frenzied blows that only strike the air near it. After a moment, he begins to move, in hopes of wandering aimlessly around; still unaware of your presence.

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Though his move does provoke and AoO from both you and your skeleton.

[veven]

Well at least I am not the only one
"It's nice to meet you Stag. I'm glad I have someone else to suffer through," she waves her hand nonchalantly towards the other guests and shakes her head,"...this with me".

[Orison]

Brynn & Stag

Stefan chuckles heartily and slaps Stag hard on the back.

"Well now, I'll leave you to it! I've got to go back to the inn, but I'll be rootin' for ya! I'm proud of you, boy! No matter what you do!"

He turns on his heel, swinging his portly behind in your direction. Trotting off down the road, he leaves you both in front of the entrance to the great banquet hall. Servants and guests alike enter begin to pour around you in increasing droves, and soon you find yourselves in a sea of fancy dressed nobles; looking you over as they walk by.

[Blade Conduit]

"It nice to meet you too." oh the words were coming out all wrong. This was the part he had been so worried about. And now she was talking about suffering. They had been brought here to suffer? Wait no.. That didn't make any sense. Stag thought maybe he understood. "This all very hard for me. I not good at speaking and with lots of people around, it much worse." he paused looked down at his feet for a second and then "Why.. why do you suffer?"

[Jedora]

Both of them strike at the Zombie as it leaves itself open.

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Lillian Attack (1d20+1)[12] Damage (1d10+1)[11]
Skeleton Attack (1d20+3)[4] Damage (1d8+3)[8]

[Orison]

Lilian

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As the zombie begins to move, your skeleton lashes out with it's weapon, and misses; swinging widely. Your glaive, however, strikes true, slashing the wretched corpse's left knee; completely severing it. His body slumps onto the ground with a loud, squishing 'THUNK'. He writhes on the ground, trying to stand before attempting to crawl. Putrid, clotted blood spits out of the zombie's stump, as he reaches for you, clawing at your legs.

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The Zombie attacks Lilian!
To Hit:(1d20+2)[16]
Damage: (1d6+1)[2]

Adeak

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The gruff voice bellows on the other side of the door;

"Oi? Sounds like you've got a friend in there, Aldo! If he's smart, he'll let us come in and... talk. C'mon Littlepants! We're getting impatient! OPEN UP!"

The booming voice is following by a loud and continuous rapping on the door. 'WHAK, WHAK, WHAK, WHAK, WHAK...'

Aldo looks to you in dismay, but lowers his head and quickly shakes the expression. When his eyes return to you, you see a newly lit fire almost flicker inside him. He smiles and draws a dagger from each boot and nods to you, shrugging; and awaiting your next move.

[Jedora]

Cursing under her breath with a wince she moves back and strikes at the Zombie with her glaive.

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Moving back 5 feet with a full movement, followed by an attack.

Attack (1d20+1)[8]
Damage (1d10+1)[4]

The Skeleton then, wielding the longsword with both hands, moves behind and attacks the Zombie from the rear.

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Attack (1d20+5)[22]
Damage (1d8+4)[11]

[Debatra]

Only if the door opens inward:

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Between bashings from the outside, Adeak unlatches the door so the next strike will send it swinging open and readies an attack.

Sleight of Hand: (1d20+10)[24] (trying to do so silently)

(1d20+1)[5](6)
(1d6+3)[7]
(1d6)[2]

Only if the door opens outward:

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Adeak nods to Aldo, but motions for him to hide his weapons (hoping he's smart enough to keep them ready). When he does so; the Tiefling opens the door, hiding his axe in his cloak. (Sleight of Hand: (1d20+12)[15])

"Yeah; he does that sometimes. Try to keep the blood in one spot." (Bluff: (1d20+4)[14])