A Murder in Hawksridge

[Kinthas]

The Story So Far, Briefly

Last we left you, Dain, Talonus and Dagon had made their way to the small city of Hawksridge. This is a community of some few thousand souls in a region of temperate forest and low rocky hills. A swift river runs past the city. The cityfolk survive on a mixture of shepherding, farming, and fishing. Farmland is moderately scarce and the soil is rocky, allowing only limited crop production. A lot of produce is brought in from surrounding areas, some of which are better suited to farming endeavours. Your hometown of Falston is a few days walk or a single day's ride to the west, upriver. Hawksridge is the largest city in the region and acts as a sort of capital, collecting taxes for the governor and in turn providing a measure of security and a centre for trade. Falston, along with many other towns and villages, sends a delegation of elders to Hawksridge twice a year to discuss issues of taxation and governance.

The autumn delegation had returned earlier than expected to Falston this year, missing Dain's father, Dorn, a respected town elder and long-time attendee. Dorn had been found, dead, in an alleyway. Dain was angry and upset and resolved to avenge his father's (suspected) murder. Rather than let your long-time friend rush off to his revenge alone, you, Talonus and Dagon, resolved to accompany him and help him to whatever extent you could. The three of you set off almost immediately for Hawksridge, leaving your professions behind in Falston. Happily, none of you were particularly critical to the town's existence anyway. Dain, like his father, is a stonemason and builder, but the town will manage without him.

On the way to Hawksridge, you were accosted by some roadside thugs. You quickly taught them a lesson, killing three of the bandits and chasing the other one off into the forest. Once in Hawksridge, you began to investigate. You learned that Dorn had been murdered by a poisonous dart. Dorn was a tough old dwarf, the poison required to kill him quickly would have needed to be very potent. You found a feather from an unidentifiable bird near the body. It is black with red markings. You also discovered the house where he had presumably been murdered and in that house you found remnants of a poisoner's work. You have a small sample of a type of unidentified mushroom. It's dark brown, smells of must and glows faintly in the dark.

It's late and you are still in that house, searching for clues. Dagon and Talonus are present, Dain is elsewhere on his own reconaissance.

Character Sheet URLs

Spoiler

Show

Character Sheets:

Dagon - http://www.rpgwebprofiler.net/view.php?id=50348
Talonus - http://www.rpgwebprofiler.net/view.php?id=50523
Dain - http://www.rpgwebprofiler.net/view.php?id=50368
Naizan - http://www.rpgwebprofiler.net/view.php?id=53600

History and Geography Excerpts

Spoiler

Show

What you know about Cirrune: it is an insular kingdom to the east and south. It is predominantly elvish, and ruled by an elven king. In historic times, Hawksridge and its surrounding areas were actually part of Cirrune, though many, many years ago the Cirruneth withdrew their influence and Hawksridge has been largely independent ever since. The people of Cirrune are rarely encountered outside of their own kingdom, which is fiercely protective of its borders. The general belief is that visitors are prohibited, upon pain of death. There is a great deal of mystery surrounding them. This is the first you've heard of their presence in Hawksridge, though now that you've been told, you seem to recall some muttering amongst the populace about 'them elves' and 'those strange people.'

Roughly 100 years ago, there was a war between Cirrune and a powerful kingdom in the south called Ulthwanda. The Ulthwandans were aided by an army of barbarian mercenaries from the Plains of Water, a wide region of temperate plains to the north divided by an almost countless number of tributaries flowing out of the mountains, which run generally from the southwest to the northeast. The barbarians were led by the legendary Rhas the Great, who is now believed to be long dead. A lesser known fact is that Rhas is reputed to have had a powerful wizard in his entourage, an elf by the name of Isul, while the Ulthwandans were commanded by a triumvirate of dark (from the perspective of the histories you've read) priests: Jushad, Martell, and Lyraea. The two armies converged upon Cirrune, one from the north, one from the south, but were held off by the elves' tenacious defense, aided by the people of their then large kingdom and led by their young king, Nirovandilus. The war was terrible and costly, but in the end the invaders were repulsed. Jushad was slain. Isul was captured but managed to escape.

Some 20 years later, war came again to Cirrune. Rhas had rebuilt his strength and more, this time bringing not only the tribes from the riverlands but also ogres and giants from the mountains. Isul returned with him. The Ulthwandans came north in great force with their priests: Martell, Lyraea and, strangely, Jushad. The histories differ as to whether this is the same Jushad, back from the dead, or a different priest having assumed the identity of Jushad. The people of Cirrune once again rallied to their kingdom's defence, but from the beginning it appeared that this time, their strength would not be sufficient. Powerful magics were worked against them, and their will to fight was sapped. But just as the war seemed lost, an army of dwarves responding to an alliance formed during the intervening years marched out of their strongholds in the Barrier Mountains southwest of Cirrune and attacked the rear of the Ulthwandan host. Lending their stout hearts and strong arms to the beleagured defenders, the dwarves, led by King Borias the Bold, managed to rout the Ulthwandans and then, together with the Cirruneth, defeated the vast army of Rhas the Great, who fled back to their homes in the north and west.

Since the second Cirrunic war (as it is generally known), the alliance with the dwarves fell apart (you don't know why) and the people of Cirrune became disatisfied with their elven rulers whom they felt were ungrateful for their sacrifices during the two wars. Tensions increased and the elves' influence waned. They became more and more insular over the decades until they had practically removed themselves from the world at large.

[Breece]

Dagon
Dark House of the Mushroom

Dagon look up from the floor boards. He had searched them carefully, or at least he thought he did. The youth had to admit that his wasn't exactly what he was use to, or good at. Talonus was nearby. Maybe his keen elven sense would reveal something.

"Find anything?" Dagon asked hopefully.

Spoiler

Show

Here again is Dagon's sheet, and his background (still a work in progress).

http://www.rpgwebprofiler.net/view.php?id=50348

In character, Dagon will defer to Talonus as to what to do next . He generally takes his cues from Talonus and Dain, as he sees, quite appropriately, both of them as his elders.

[Krezzlar]

Talonus

Spoiler

Show

Talonus' char sheet. Might want to put both on the first post.
http://www.rpgwebprofiler.net/view.php?id=50523

Talonus was found as an orphan by the people of Falston and raised by the community. Not knowing how to deal with an elf though, Talonus spent a bewildering childhood trying to find his identity. He spent a great deal of time reading the few books he could find and talking to travelers about the world beyond the farms. Having seen many generations of humans come and go, he has bonded to a degree with his two companions, Dain and Dagon. Along with helping them, he is also eager to see more of the world.

Talonus searches the location for any further clues. Where did the dart come from? Through the window? Or was the murderer in the house when it happened? If it was in the house, how'd they get in? Or did Dorn know his killer?

"Not sure but we're running out of locations to look in this house. I think after this pass, I will head to the library and see what I can find out about this bird and this poison. You spend a lot of time outdoors, does either this bird feather or mushroom sample look familiar to you?"

Spoiler

Show

Search (1d20+4)[16]

[Breece]

Dagon

Spoiler

Show

I probably should have rolled this before. Search:

(1d20)[14]

Dagon looks the feather and mushroom over.

"The feather is not local. The mushroom is unlike anything I have seen before. That said..."

Spoiler

Show

Knowledge (nature):

(1d20+7)[8]

[Kinthas]

The House is Searched

The ground floor of the house is a single room. A table and four sturdy chairs reside centrally. A stone hearth gapes coldly from the rear wall. Its ashes indicate to Talonus that it has not been used in some time, though the weather has been warm lately so this is not unusual. Long, narrow tables line the walls to either side of the hearth. Pots hang from the ceiling and various cooking utensils sit on shelves or upon the tables. A knife resting on one of the long tables still has bits of sausage stuck to it. There are four plates on another of the side tables, obviously used and not cleaned. Three mugs are in similar condition. The shelves hold a very limited selection of preserved foods: pickled eggs, smoked sausage, dried fruits. A ladder to one side of the room leads up to the loft and stone stairs descend into the cellar.

Talonus spots a few droplets of dried blood on the surface of the table in the centre of the room. Noticing these, you both examine the area more closely and discover a few more spots of blood upon the floor. Faint but fresh scuff marks are visible in the dirt on the wooden floor, creating a trail towards the door. You are certain you did not make those marks yourselves.

You have already been to the cellar, where you discovered the mushroom growing in a pot of dirt. Bits of broken glass are strewn about the tiled floor. The cellar also sports two large water barrels and a rudimentary drain. The loft contains two pallets, which Talonus guages have been slept in recently; perhaps as recently as last night. A small crate supports a few stubs of burned out candle, a crude pencil, and a deck of heavily used playing cards. On a whim, you pick up the cards and riffle through them. It is a standard fifty-two card deck of four suits: swords, bells, roses and crowns. The cards appear normal. But as you return the deck to the crate, face-down, your keen elven eyes notice small characters printed on the back of the topmost card. Riffling through the deck again, you confirm that the back of each card is similarly marked with a single letter and a single number. Spreading the cards on the floor of the loft, you quickly determine that each letter of the alphabet is represented twice. No pattern is immediately discernible in the numbers.

Meanwhile, after exploring a bit downstairs, Dagon takes a minute and considers the feather and the mushroom carefully. Neither seems recognizable.

Spoiler

Show

Thanks for the backgrounds guys. Talonus, I'm going to suggest that you were found by Dorn and raised by him and his wife. They were good to you, if perhaps not quite loving parents. You can decide how close you felt to them. Dorn was a good mentor, though he would often go traveling for weeks at a stretch and though you were curious about the wider world, he would not usually discuss these excursions with you. When you were in your adolescent years, Dorn had a son, Dain. You had become relatively independent by then. It's up to you to decide how close you would have remained with the family after that point, and therefore how much of a brotherly relationship you have with Dain.

Tragically, Dorn was the last member of the Falston community still alive from the time of your youth, Dain's mother having died of an illness while Dain was still young. The other inhabitants of Falston are human and you have seen the lives of many of them come and go through the decades. Perhaps this has left you a bit phlegmatic towards matters of life and death. If you and Dagon like, it's possible that you knew Dagon's grandparents well (if they lived in Falston) as his family is longer-lived than seems normal for humans and this property may have attracted you to them.

[Krezzlar]

Talonus

Spoiler

Show

How long ago was Dorn murdered? Do we know the reason Dorn was in this house? Was it where the delegates were staying or is this some other place? We know the mushroom is toxic, right? Sorry, it's been a while.

Talonus gathers up the mushroom into a pouch and puts the deck of cards into his pocket. He takes some extra time to check to check the basement for secret doors before he leaves it.

"Perhaps this murder had nothing to do with the delegation at all and Dorn just stumbled onto something. Suffice to say, I am very confused."

Spoiler

Show

If nothing else is turned up, Talonus will go to the library to do research on the bird feather, mushroom and cards.

[Kinthas]

A Stranger in the Night

Spoiler

Show

It's been two days since Dorn was murdered. Details follow:

The semiannual meetings usually take place over 3 days. Dain was murdered after the meetings concluded on the 2nd day. The delegation from Falston returned home the next evening as the final day of meetings was postponed for security reasons. The three of you set out from Falston (with horses loaned from the townsfolk) that night, traveled into the night, made a short stop for a few hours of sleep, and finished the trip by noon the following day. It is now evening on the 4th day since the meetings began.

You have no idea why Dorn might have been in this particular house. No delegates were staying here as far as you know. The Falston delegates always stay at the same inn, the Kettle & Drum. Most of the delegates were staying at various inns around the city. Dain spent the evening tracking down some of the attendees remainining in Hawksridge to see if they knew anything. You and Dagon are to meet him at the Kettle & Drum tonight.

You don't know for sure that the mushroom is toxic, but from the evidence in the cellar (bits of chopped mushroom lying about, pieces of glass from a broken decanter that bore evidence of being heated over a flame, remnants of a few other plants that Dagon knew as typical poison ingredients, etc.) you have a strong suspicion it was used to make poison and would likely be toxic.

No secret doors are found in the cellar, though you do find a small bag of coins (50 gold) stashed behind a loose brick. Having decided that you have exhausted all avenues of investigation in the house, you decide to return to the Kettle & Drum, hoping that Dain will also have returned with useful information. The two of you make your way outside into the street. The sun dipped below the hills on the western horizon a few moments ago and the sky is rapidly darkening. You make your way through the city towards the inn, getting lost occasionally. It is on one of these detours through a particularly confusing section of the city that Dagon realizes you are being followed.

A lone individual is walking swiftly towards you, perhaps fifty or sixty feet distant. Your pursuer does not appear to be taking any great pains to conceal his presence, though you don't recall anyone being there a minute ago. The streets here are deserted. It is now fully dark. Scattered clouds diminish the light from the stars and a half-moon that nonetheless manage to provide enough illumination for Dagon to see passably. You catch the glint of moonlight on steel from an object held in one shadowy hand. It is only a moment before Talonus notices that Dagon has stopped paying attention to his conversation and looks back to see what has usurped his attention. The lone figure says nothing though you think he must be aware that you have noted his presence. He (you are fairly certain it is a male) continues walking swiftly towards you, brandishing a dagger in each hand.

[Breece]

Dagon

"So what do you think Dain will..." Dagon's voice trails off as he turns, noticing the pursuer.

With sightless eyes and deafened ears
Perceive these few beyond the shroud
Beware to ye who commeth near
Your silent footfalls ring aloud.

He readies his sword in response to moon-given warning of hostile steel. Brandishing his blade in his left hand, he readies his sling in his other.

They hold the spark of halcion
The grace of fire not yet gone
None to know and all anon
The last few sons of Avalon.

"Halt!" he warns.

Spoiler

Show

1. Ready sling and scimitar (move action)
2. Take 5 foot step away and back from assailant.
3. Ready action:
- trigger: assailant does not stop
- action: attack with sling

[Krezzlar]

Talonus

Talonus turns quickly as Dagon does and draws his bow at the shadower.

"Perhaps you would like to explain why you are following us with bare weapons? Suffice it to say, we're rather curious as to your reason."

[Kinthas]

The Stranger Makes an Offer

The cloaked and cowled figure does not stop coming forward, though he slows to a normal walking pace. He is roughly 40 feet away. Within the shadows of his hood you see a bright line appear--you realize he's grinning at you.

"Curiousity can be dangerous if you are unprepared for its consequences, elf. It is Lady Curiousity that has landed you in your current predicament." He pauses, apparently for a moment of internal dialogue. "But it gives me no pleasure to kill," he says with a slight sigh. "I will let you live if you return my deck of cards. I promise they are of no use to you."

He speaks with a mild accent. It is reminiscent of the speech of those from the distant south. His words carry the weight of ironclad confidence. It is very intimidating.

Spoiler

Show

Dagon, decide whether his actions trigger your attack. It's not yet combat, so there is no priority benefit for readying an action (essentially, you've all readied actions), so initiative will determine order as usual. Also, if you are going to ready for an attack, you might as well include attack and damage rolls, in case the attack is triggered. Actually, this is a good idea generally--it would be cool if you guys could try to remember to include rolls for any actions your responses contemplate, even if they're conditional responses, so that I can write up the results without having to go back and ask for rolls. It'll speed things up! If the rolls don't end up being needed, they won't be used. I promise not to lock you into a course of action just because you included a roll for it. Does that make sense?

[Breece]

Dagon

Angered and somewhat confused by Dorn's recent murder, Dagon quells the better part of his nature. Eerily and without a sound he launches a stone at the oncomer.

Spoiler

Show

Yup, attack triggered:

Here's my initiative: (1d20+2)[15]

Attack: (1d20+4)[13]
Damage: (1d4+2)[4]

He takes another 5 foot step back away from the attacker.

[Kinthas]

Spoiler

Show

Dagon, it was Dorn's murder, not Dain's. I hope, anyway. ;) Also, you seem to have double posted. I'll use the first results, but is there any way to delete the extra post?

[Kinthas]

Fighting the Cloaked Stranger, Round One

Dagon whirls his sling around and lets fly with a bullet. The stranger steps to the side just as the projectile is released and it flies harmlessly past. The stranger charges the two of you at full speed and rakes Dagon across the arm with his dagger. Talonus takes a couple steps back, pronounces a few arcane words, reaches into a pocket and lobs a handful of small round objects at your assailant. Are those tiny tarts? Yes... yes, they are.

The stranger looks quizzically at Talonus and seems about to make a snide remark. Instead, uproarious laughter spills forth. His knees buckle with the effort and he falls to the ground, rolling about and laughing maniacally.

Spoiler

Show

The stranger had the highest initiative but waited for Dagon's attack on Init 15, which missed with an Attack of 13. On Init 14 he charged and struck Dagon with his dagger for 2 points. On Init 9, Talonus took a 5' step away from the melee and cast Tasha's Hideous Laughter. The stranger failed a DC 14 Will save and was inflicted with, uh... hideous laughter. He is now prone (+4 AC) and can take no actions for 2 full rounds. It is Dagon's turn to act again on Init 15.

Also, I wanted to remind you both, since it's been a long time, that magic is quite rare in this place, including divine magic. Magic weilders are viewed with suspicion and awe. People certainly believe in magic, but it is so rare to see real magic that it has evolved a mythic quality.

[Krezzlar]

Talonus

Spoiler

Show

Forgot about the magic stigma. Will keep it in mind... although not quite yet.

"Quick! Disarm him! He'll recover soon."

Talonus glances around and makes sure they're still alone in the streets. Then he backs away from their assailant and casts Sleep on him.

[Breece]

Dagon

Dagon has murder in his eyes but checks his intentions at the last minute in response to Talonus' urgings.

Spoiler

Show

Yeah, I figured magic was kinda rare. In any case, Dagon's class doesn't even technically exist, so I'll probably not be casting spells until I can wild shape. That said:

Dagon readies his scimitar as a free action. Dagon attacks, taking a -4 to hit in order to deal non-lethal damage. The target's AC is at -4 as he is prone. Dagon unconsciously spends 1 Void to gain a +2 on this attack.

Attack: (1d20+6)[16]
Damage: (1d4+2)[3]

He will repeat this process, again spending 1 Void to gain +2 on the attack.

Attack: (1d20+6)[23]
Damage: (1d4+2)[5]

As part of his second action, he readies his shield.

[Kinthas]

Fighting the Cloaked Stranger, Rounds Two and Three

Dagon turns his scimitar at the last moment and strikes the stranger a stinging blow to the ribs with the flat of the blade. The stranger tries in vain to block, but he is laughing so hard he can't control his arms effectively. Amidst the laughter, you hear a few strained words.

"This... changes... nothing..."

Talonus backs away slowly, concentrating on his casting as he begins a new spell. Dagon strikes the stranger again with an audible *thwack*, drops his sling and straps on a wooden shield. As the laughter subsides, Talonus completes his spell. Nothing happens. A final chuckle escapes from the stranger. It doesn't sound forced.

Spoiler

Show

Feel free to cast spells. It's not sooo rare that people are going to go nuts and mob you. I'm just reminding you that people will take notice and possibly change their attitudes. It could be beneficial at some times, harmful at other times. Some people will hate and fear magic weilders, others will be impressed, others might become sycophantic. The only thing that will not happen is for people to shrug and think you're just another stinkin wizard.

In any case, getting to the combat results, Dagon hits the stranger for 8 points of non-lethal damage. Talonus backs up another 5' and casts sleep, which has no effect. Hideous Laughter has expired. Talonus, you have another action to take before the stranger can act. Your spell takes a full round to cast and takes effect just before your normal action comes around again.

[Breece]

Dagon

No, but this might.

Spoiler

Show

Dagon will take an Attack of Oppurtunity if the man tries to stand. Standard attack dealing lethal damage. Spending 1 Void on this.

Attack: (1d20+6)[13]
Damage: (1d6+2)[4]

He will move such that the man is between Talonus and himself. If the man makes a move towards Talonus, and thus leaves Dagon's threatened area, he will take another Attack of Oppurtunity.

Attack: (1d20+6)[16]
Damage: (1d6+2)[8]

He otherwise attempts to ward the man's daggers with his shield.

[Krezzlar]

Talonus

Talonus lets out a curse when the first spell fails, then tries again.

Spoiler

Show

Talonus will try another sleep spell before the assailant is recovered. If that fails too, he'll use Inspire Courage (+1 to attack and damage)

Edit:

Spoiler

Show

Forgot to mention, I moved back further than a 5' step last round. I'll move back 30' if there's enough room with my move action.

[Breece]

Dagon

Dagon rushes to interpose himself between the attacker and Talonus. His body tenses in anticipation of the inevitable counterstroke.

Spoiler

Show

Spend 1 Void to raise AC by 2, this will be in effect until my next action.

Undaunted, he strikes with his silvery scimitar, a powerful downstrike of ferocious intent.

Spoiler

Show

Attack: (1d20+4)[24]
Damage: (1d6+2)[3]

Critical?!

Spoiler

Show

Critical Confirmation: [roll]1d20+4[/roll]

[Breece]

Critical?!

Spoiler

Show

Critical Confirmation: (1d20+4)[24]

[Breece]

Anger and rage consume Dagon for a moment and the red moonlight glitters off his blade like a promise of destruction.

Spoiler

Show

(2d6+4)[13]

[Krezzlar]

Talonus

"Stabilize him now and we'll talk. Otherwise I'm incinerating these cards with my magic."

Spoiler

Show

Bluff roll(1d20+8)[27]

[Krezzlar]

Talonus

Spoiler

Show

Diplomacy Check (1d20+10)[15]

Forgot to add +2 for Sense Motive synergy. Result is a 17.

[Kinthas]

Fighting the Cloaked Stranger, Rounds Four and Five, and Negotiations

Talonus starts casting another spell and continues to back away from the stranger and Dagon. Dagon attacks with his silvery scimitar. There's a flash of metal and a grunt of pain as Dagon connects with a wicked slash to the stranger's side. Injured, the stranger struggles to his feet and Dagon takes the opportunity to strike again, this time a slice across the forearm. Shrugging off the pain, the stranger faces Dagon and executes a blinding series of feints. Dagon is caught off-guard... and suddenly the stranger strikes. While Dagon is attempting to parry a left-handed thrust at his stomach, the stranger twists and brings his right arm across Dagon's neck in a sweeping arc. Steel bites into flesh and blood erupts from a deep fissure. Dagon collapses in pain and shock to fall at the stranger's feet, his blood seeping out into a pool on the street. The stranger turns to face Talonus as Dagon's life slowly ebbs away. He stretches out a hand.

"My cards, if you please. You might still be able to save your friend."

Talonus' Sleep spell finishes, but again to no effect. He takes out the deck of cards and levitates them into the air while putting more distance between himself and his deadly opponent. "Stabilize him now and we'll talk. Otherwise I'm incinerating these cards with my magic," he bluffs, having no spells at his disposal to accomplish such a feat.

But the stranger seems concerned. "I will trade with you, mage. A potion to save your friend's life if you hand over my deck, intact." He reaches into his cloak and draws forth a small vial as evidence of his good faith.

"Stabilize him now! You still have the power to kill him and then we'll talk about trades."

"If I give him the potion, he will wake. We both know he will try to kill me again."

"Disarm him, stand on his throat, whatever. He dies, the cards are gone. We all lose," Talonus tries, using his best diplomatic efforts. The cards float higher into the air over Talonus' head.

"Do not be foolish. If you lose even one card, I will kill you." Nonetheless, the stranger picks up Dagon's scimitar and lobs it into an alleyway before uncorking the vial and pouring it on Dagon's wound. He takes Dagon's hair in one hand and rests a dagger against his neck to ensure his docility. Dagon's wound closes partially and the bleeding stops, though he does not wake. "It appears he was closer to death than I thought. No matter, he is stable now." He stands, but does not move far from Dagon's prone form. "My cards," he repeats, once again holding out his hand in anticipation.

Talonus lets the cards float back into his hands. "I have your word that you will not harm us if you get these back?"

The stranger smiles. "You do." He seems sincere.

The two of them spend the next minute or so negotiating over just how the hand-over will be accomplished. Talonus is concerned that the stranger will kill Dagon once he has his precious cards. The stranger is concerned that Talonus is going to scatter the cards or destroy them once he feels that he and Dagon are out of immediate danger. Neither side wants to budge, but eventually the stranger makes a concession and moves away from Dagon's body to stand at a point roughly equidistant from Dagon and Talonus. He seems to be growing very impatient with all the posturing.

"Give me the deck. I have been more than accomodating. I shall wait no longer." His daggers are once again held at the ready.

"Alright, you will have it in a moment," agrees Talonus, stalling slightly.

Spoiler

Show

Dagon inflicted 24 damage with a critical hit and an attack of opportunity. The stranger struck back by feinting, successfully, and then using a sneak attack to hit Dagon for 18, plus inflicting a bleed effect of 1/round. Dagon falls unconcious and is bleeding to death. Talonus' Sleep spell is once again unsuccessful. The stranger heals Dagon with a potion of Cure Minor Wounds for 5 points, bringing Dagon back to -1 and stabilizing him. Talonus and Dagon are now about 40 feet apart, and the stranger is roughly 30 feet from each of them, oriented in triangular fashion.

[Krezzlar]

Talonus

Talonus holds the deck in front of him and starts reciting another spell, one that appears to take extra long. When he is finished, he deals out the cards one at a time so that their assailant can see them and so that he can try to remember as many of the cards as he can. When he's done, he levitates the deck perpendicular from the line made by himself and their assailant so that the deck forms a triangle between himself and the assailant.

"Alright, now you move slowly towards the deck and I will move towards my friend. We do this peacefully and nothing gets scattered. And just one more question before we never see each other again. Do you know anything about what happened to the dwarf Dorn?"

Spoiler

Show

Talonus will use Prestidigitation on the deck to steal one card and leave an identical counterfeit hoping the darkness will aid the disguise. He'll go to Dagon and try to revive him to the point where he can walk. It's not really in the rules anywhere but I figure he's pretty close to being awake as is.

Heal roll (1d20)[13]

[Kinthas]

Negotiations with the Stranger Conclude

Spoiler

Show

You have to cast Prestidigitation and then recast Mage Hand, but I'll allow that you make it look like a single casting.

The stranger moves as instructed, walking slowly towards the cards as you head towards Dagon. The process is completed without incident. The stranger grabs the deck out of the air when it is close enough and quickly riffles through them to check whether he has them all. Apparently satisfied, he stuffs the deck into a pocket somewhere. "Never heard of him," he says. His sheathes his daggers and turns to walk away, heading into a narrow side street.

You help Dagon to rise. He is weak and dizzy, but by putting his arm around your shoulder and supporting much of his weight, you enable him to move his feet on his own.

Spoiler

Show

You each gain 750 xp.

[Krezzlar]

Talonus

Talonus helps Dagon as best he can.

"Come on Dagon, let's get out of here." he whispers to his friend as they start walking. "We need to find Dain. Where has that dwarf gotten to?"

Talonus heads back to the inn where they were staying as quickly as possible. Once inside, he helps Dagon to bed and bars the door.

[Kinthas]

Breakfast, Day 2 after Dorn's Murder

In the morning, Dagon wakes up feeling predictably terrible. Dain is downstairs helping himself to a hearty breakfast. He has news from the previous evening. After you parted ways, Dain went to seek out some of the delegates who were still in town to see if they had any useful information. After a few fruitless meetings, Dain found out from a frightened delegate that he'd seen Dorn in the company of a halfling, drinking together at a local establishment. Halflings aren't common in Hawksridge, so it made an impression on him. Dain pursued the matter with the bartender where Dorn and the halfling had stopped for a few drinks, who mentioned that he'd seen the same halfling hanging around earlier with a tall man in a dark cloak who looked like trouble. The same man had been in the bar the previous evening, sitting alone near the fire, going over some documents and fiddling with a deck of cards. He'd been unfriendly with the servers but otherwise hadn't caused any trouble. Upon questioning, the bartender had recalled that the stranger had been tossing documents into the fire as he'd finished with them. Dain searched the ashes and, with a stroke of incredible luck, found a piece of parchment with odd writing, only half-burnt, buried under cold ash near the edge of the fireplace. He produces it for your inspection. It is smudged with charcoal, but reads as follows:

CK B5 C6 SQ B4 R1 B9 BJ CJ SK S4 B3 CT R4 CK R1 SQ ...

and so on. There are perhaps fifty doublets before the text is obliterated by charring. The bartender's staff had heard the cloaked man referred to as Ormand. The halfling's name was not known.

Dain's face reddens as he listens to your tale of the previous evening. His knuckles are white as he grips the edge of the table. A ceramic mug cracks in his other hand. You get the impression that he's doing his best not to take his frustration out on random objects. He is concerned about Dagon and insists upon bringing some food upstairs. Dain is a firm believer in eating to regain one's strength.

[Krezzlar]

Talonus

Talonus heads upstairs with Dain reading the combinations and trying to jot down what he can remember of the code on a separate sheet of paper. When they reach the room where Dagon was resting, he closes the door behind him.

"One last thing. I managed to secure one card from the deck. I think it's fairly obvious that the cards have something to do with this code. Hopefully whatever code this is, requires the full deck to discern. There is a good chance this confident assailant will return for it. Either way, we probably should not separate again until we know more about what we are facing. How're you feeling Dagon?"

Spoiler

Show

Not sure what roll it'd be to remember the card combos. Here's a roll anyway though. (1d20)[11]

[Kinthas]

Spoiler

Show

It'd be an intelligence roll, so you'd end up with 13. It's a very difficult check, it's not easy to memorize that sort of information quickly. Also, the codes were on the backs of the cards, so it would have been VERY difficult to quickly sift through the cards and see both the fronts and backs and associate codes with cards.

You manage to recall a handful of codes, but you're not really positive about any of them, aside from the one card you do have. You try using what you remember to make sense of the letter, but you quickly decide that you don't have anywhere near enough information. You're not even sure what the codes on the cards mean.

Dain mumbles his agreement with you about your theory. He tells you his theory that the halfling is a local. He believes that Dorn wouldn't have spent an evening drinking with someone he didn't already know fairly well. "Dorn was guarded with his relationships; he wasn't the easiest dwarf to become friends with," Dain recalls to you with a hint of fondness.

Spoiler

Show

I'm assuming that at some point this morning Dagon will heal himself? In any case, you guys should give me an idea of what your next course of action is going to be.