The Lands of Sanetch - Alpha

[iop]

The captain nods as Krusk's accusations. However much he'd normally jump on this information, he still appears frozen in place at the sudden misfortune that befell his man, and so are the other guards. Thus, no one interferes with Marius as he examines Klav, his hands moving with the expert efficiency of an experienced healer.

[ooc]
Zweanslord

Spoiler

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As Marius tastes a minute amount of the syrupy substance, he immediately remembers an extremely heated discussion at a famous healing university he once visited. There, he sat through a seminar in which different anesthetics were discussed (there were samples of all of them). One of the questions sparking the debate was whether this poison that mimicked a particular stasis spell was a viable anesthetic or not. As a non-magical effect it would work on creatures resistant to magic, it could be administered by non-casters, and the strength of the effect could be very well controlled - the patients could be put to sleep for a few minutes, or they could be in deep coma for a few hours with reduced physiological functions so that there would be less blood loss during the operation. However, too high a dose would mean that the patients would go into stasis forever. They would not die for at least 10 years, but they would never regain consciousness. The big problem was that if the dose was not so completely over the top that the body would go all rigid, it was impossible to know whether an overdose had been administered, and without treatment within the first minutes, the patient would be lost. Thus, it was seemingly easy to use by non-experts (i.e. non-casters), but it was also very risky, which would require administration by experts. It didn't help, or course, that one of the presenters had been in the team that had developed the anesthetic.
Marius of course also remembers what should be done: He needs to remove the paralysis, administer a strong stimulant (that he should be able to find in his medicine chest), and remove Klav's armor, because the chain shirt is going to be too heavy for the weakened lung muscles to lift.

[/ooc]

[SandDemon]

Krusk

Looking over Marius' shoulder as no one seems to move from what he said, he mentions "Dagger from Malagar, if help." He turns to look behind himself and shuffles back so he can lean against the post, waiting silently.

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

As Krusk speaks up and is already shuffling back, Marius speaks up to him. "I could use some help here removing the chain shirt of the guard to make it easier for him to breath." Before doing so, however, Marius grabs a medicine chest from his backpack, puts it on the ground and grabs something. After that, with his free hand, Marius waves his hand inches over the guard's body. The hand radiates some soft yellow light towards the body, making the paralysis go away instantly. Then, Marius administers the thing he obtained from the small medicine chest to the guard, and motions to the most nearby person to aid him in getting the chain shift off the guard. Meanwhile, the dagger is lying on the ground already, not too far away.

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

Raël moves toward the guard as he begins to lick his fingers, saying, "Stop, don't do that!" but is obviously too late. He gets to the man just behind Marius. When he hears Marius' instructions he begins to deftly unlace the guard's armor, pulling it off of him as soon as he can. He turns to Marius when they have a free moment, and says, "Do you know what that was? Some kind of poison?"

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Giving a smile towards Raël as he offers help, the two of them work to improve the situation of the guard. When the chain shirt is off the guard, Marius sets himself more comfortably on the ground, sitting on his knees. He inspects the state of the guard carefully, than pushes his chest a few times to aid in the breathing, and after that, he seems to nod softly. "He will be fine now." Then, he turns towards Raël and speaks up loud enough for the others to hear as well. "It was a strong paralysis poison, with a variable length depending on the dose. This makes it risky if you do not know the ratio, or, if you just freely take something like he did.."

[iop]

Realizing that his man is going to make it seems to bring the life back to the captain. He quickly steps next to Klav and peels the dagger out of the soldier's hand, wrapping it in a towel after carefully looking it over.
"What is your name, healer?", he asks Marius in a very serious tone. Then, almost as an afterthought, he turns to Krusk and asks: "How come you recognize the dagger?"

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Standing straight up, Marius turns towards the captain. He makes a bow with his head, and then responds. "The name is Marius Thanador. I am glad to be of assistance."

[Job]

Hector

While his companions are being questioned Hector will move his attention to Dravia, and then to the other patrons, attempting to glean any hidden guild among them.

[iop]

The captain stands up even straighter than before, and takes a deep breath, making sure that everyone's attention is focused on him.

“Marius Thanador”, exclaims the captain. “By the power vested in me by King Miswa of Mugdal called The Visionary, I, Olof of Hungund, captain of the Royal Guard of Mugdal, pike-bearer first class, and recipient of many other honors, proclaim you, Marius Thanador, friend of the kingdom of Mugdal for your exemplary services to the crown!”
Olof takes one of the smaller medals off his sash and fastens it to Deron's shirt with trembling fingers.
“You saved the life of one of my men today”, he says with a tear in his eye. “Should you ever be in need of assistance, contact the closest guard station, or embassy of the kingdom of Mugdal, and we will try to repay you.”

Olof takes another deep breath and composes himself. He looks to Krusk, who has not answered yet. Olof frowns, then his face suddenly relaxes. "You said that you are hunting criminals, didn't you? No wonder you would know about the thieves' guild. Frankly, you will not find much work in this kingdom, because we keep our streets clear of vermin." Olof touches the dead man with his foot. "However, should you head to Malager, you will certainly find work, for it is a filthy place festering with crime."

Looking at you, as if you were an attentive audience, Olov continues: "I know now why this man tried to reach this inn. He is a thief from Malager, trying to conduct some illegal business in our nice kingdom - no wonder he carried poison with him. When he was found out, he tried to fool someone into bringing the dagger that would identify him as a master thief back to Malager, and he hoped that some stranger - and where else would he find them but here - would be gullible enough to do so. But I see that you all, especially Marius Thanador, friend of the kingdom of Mugdal, are good men who would not have done such a thing."

Olof orders two of his men to carry the corpse outside. He is about to leave when something comes to his mind.
“Oh, I almost forgot. For identification purposes, I have to demand a lock of hair from everyone present. Except Dravia, of course.”

[ooc]
Job

Spoiler

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There are no other patrons that your group. None of its members is openly recognizable as member of a particular guild.

[/ooc]

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

His eyes a vivid green, he looks up at the guard captain. He says, calmly, "Perhaps such business would be better conducted outside, as Mistress Dravia is rather strict about her weapons policy, and I have no wish to tear out my own hair." He steps toward the door, removing his headband as he does so.

((I guess they could make a sense motive check or something to tell that he's really ticked off, and he'd get a bluff or diplomacy check or something, but you can do that however you'd like.))

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

"I am honoured to be called a friend of the kingdom, good captain." With that. he makes a half bow again, before looking back. "But it is my job. And that comes with something else as well." He gives a single nod towards the captain, before heading to the corpse. He kneels besides the dead man and seems to speak up a prayer in another language, celestial, as he closes his eyes. The prayer is not spoken too loud, except the last part. "May your soul move on and not linger in this existence." With that, he seems to make a simple gesture, before opening his eyes, sighing shortly, and rising up again.

"While he may not have lived the best of lives, we must respect the dead." Nodding to the guards that will carry the corpse outside, he then steps away to let them do their work. He folds his hands in each other before him and seems in thought for a moment. When he hears about the required lock, he nods towards Raël, or rather, with him as he agrees.

[oldredeyes]

Levvenol is hesitant at this request; stepping out of the shadows, he turns to the guard captain. "Why is this necessarry? Has the criminal not been brought to justice? My god, Baravar Cloakshadow, teaches that we must protect our homes from the knowledge of outsiders, and this contravenes that teaching."

Spoiler

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Not really expecting this to work, but (Diplomacy (1d20+8)[17](25))

If the captain is not swayed Lev will reluctantly follow his demand.

[iop]

"Commendably, Dravia does not allow weapons to be worn in here, but I doubt that she made you eat with a spoon. If you did hand in your sharp knife, I will gladly lend you my dagger for the occasion", replies Olof calmly to Raël.
Turning to Levvenol, he continues, still surprisingly friendly:
"It is a pity that your religion does not want to allow surrendering some hair. However, I am sure that if your deity didn't disallow you to travel, there must be a clause for accommodating other cultures' demands. If not, pretend that some of your hair fell out and was collected by me by accident."

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

Taking the dagger from the captain,

Spoiler

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he bursts into a whirl of action, and, with a single throw, slashes the throats of all the guards, and spears Olof through the eye with a fork. No, not really, but this crosses his mind. I do so dislike these rascists

he cuts a small hank of hair from the top of his head and hands it to Olaf, along with the dagger. As he does so, he asks, "Why this custom? I know it's for identification, but this seems an odd way to go about it."

[SandDemon]

Krusk

"Aa..." returning back from his short lapse, he rips out some hair growing on his forearm without much a thought and hands it to the captain. "Ya, thief guild...you knows." Nodding for effect, he smiles and waits what unfolds.

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

"Hmm.. I guess you have your magics at your disposal then." Marius says to the captain, in regards of the identifying of people. But, beyond that comment, Marius just obeys the order to offer a lock of hair as he opts to borrows the dagger as well. Making sure to take the lock out of his long blond hair in a place where it will not be visible that anything is taken out, Marius makes further sure it is only a small lock. Nothing large will be necessary anyway. thinks Marius as he offers his small lock of hair and returns the dagger.

[Job]

Hector

Hector will remove a short blunt-ended knife from his belt and cut a small clump of his prematurely graying hair, offering it unceremoniously to the captain.

[iop]

"Thank you very much", Olof says politely as he carefully stores the hair in little boxes that he labels with each person's name.
[ooc]I assume your characters all told Olof their name[/ooc]

"I wish all of you good luck on your way to Malager. Be wary of the elves in the forest of Orbain; they're up to no good. And watch your back in case you go after the thieves, they're evil, but resourceful. Though with such a skilled healer on your team, you should be well protected. May the spirit of Tourak guide you!"

With these words, Olof and the remaining guards leave the inn.


It is quiet for a moment, then Dravia speaks up: "I apologize for the inconvenience. Although the guard comes to harass my guests once every now and then, they have never killed anyone who came to seek shelter here. May I offer you anything on the house?"

[SandDemon]

Krusk

"Want mace back, nah safe without." He furrows his brow with his serious intent. Krusk seems not thrilled about the events that unfolded and wants his weapon back. If it means he has to leave, he might just - he's that serious.

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

Stiffening even more (if that is possible) at the comment about the elves, he relents a little as they leave, and murmurs, "The Lady guide your shield."

Turning to Dravia, he asks, "Then what was so special about this man, to make him an exception to thier routine? And to where did that bard go? I do not see him."

_________________________________________

After any discussion unfolds, he discusses the currently available wines with Dravia, and has a small glass of red.

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

"Some water will do." Says Marius slowly, before he makes his way to a seat. He carefully sits down and then leans on the table before his seat. he sighs softly as he closes his eyes. For a few moments, he remains like that, before he opens them softly, and glances about, almost expecting more to happen. Then, he speaks up. "This is not the usual chain of events that happens when entering such an establishment. I wonder if this is any sign of the events in this area, or events on the rise, due to this being the first time."

[iop]

“Do you think that your mace would have been any help against a dying man? Or would you have taken a stand against the royal guards of Mugdal?” Dravia puts a glass on the counter, takes an orange from behind the bar, and rolls it a few times between her hands. Then, she throws it in the air. With an amazingly swift motion, she pokes the orange from below, then slaps her hands together, right as the orange falls in between them, filling the glass with juice. The flattened orange falls onto the counter next to the glass. “Or do you fear that I cannot keep my guests safe, Krusk? I will hand you back your mace when you leave this inn. Should you decide to leave now, I will pay you back your room charge. Just be careful not to be seen by the guards, or will have to use your mace in order to avoid arrest.”
Dravia pauses, then turns to Raël and Marius. "I have no idea who this person was, but I presume that he was discovered by the guard, and that he tried to run away from them. It is not the first time they have shot someone. It is the first time, however, that such a person tried to come to my inn afterwards. It is very puzzling that a thief from Malager would be sent here, or travel here, without learning of the local laws; it is not at all like them", Dravia hesitates, as if unsure whether she should keep talking, then something seems to come to her mind. "If you're talking about Ruudi, Raël, he is no bard. Rather, he is one of the elves protecting travelers from the dangers of the forest of Orbain. He has had a run-in with the guard at one time, and they consider him overall suspect and would be happy to capture him. He comes here from time to time just to tease the guards. He is mostly harmless."

[SandDemon]

Krusk

Grumbling about the situation and not honoring it with a response, he waves off her question and decides to stay to avoid breaking the law. Krusk listens intently about the conversation with the thieves, trying to sense something from her words....something doesn't seem right about what she says. If bard wanted by guards, then why he with her.

Spoiler

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Sense motive "hunch" check:(1d20)[8]

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

Raising one eyebrow slightly at Dravia's impressive feat of dexterity ((He likes the tiny, subtle facial expressions, ya noticed?)) he nods to show that he has heard. He has little trouble believing Dravia's explanation of Ruudi, what he witnessed matches her description.

((Also, as a small metagaming thingy, wouldn't this be a lovely time for our little constantly suspicious cleric to mention the package he saw?))

[oldredeyes]

Levvenol

The gnomes eyes on the landlady, he fingers his periapt. He seems deep in thought for a while, before finally saying "Lady Dravia, in light of such disturbing events, may I ask what will be done with the poor soul's remains?"

[Job]

Hector

“Yes, that is of some interest” Hector chimes in at Levvenol comment. He again takes a seat at the table.

[iop]

"I am not sure about the fate of the dead man", Dravia admits. "I guess that they will try to identify him, both by worldly means, and with the use of magic. Then they will probably keep his remains in one of their abandoned mines that they changed into giant storerooms. This kingdom is after information like a dragon is after its hoard: They want to get as much as they can - whether they can handle it or not - and they are afraid to throw any of it away. Why are you curious about it?"

[ooc]

((Also, as a small metagaming thingy, wouldn't this be a lovely time for our little constantly suspicious cleric to mention the package he saw?))

Generally, I don't like metagaming (I guess no DM would). However, I very much approve of these kinds of comments.

SandDemon

Spoiler

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Krusk does not feel that Dravia is hiding anything. In fact, she appears to freely share what she knows.

[/ooc]

[Job]

Hector

“I don’t know Levvenol’s concern, but my guess is it’s not far from mine. I was hoping the man would receive the small courtesy of a proper burial. However that does make me think of something else; the stewards Mugdal’s law certainly seems to have an affinity for ones…bodily components. I assume they’ve devised some simple system of identification that any of their members can use?”

[iop]

"I'm afraid that courtesy is a privilege mostly reserved for citizens", Dravia replies. Then she stops to think.
"I do not know for sure, but my best guess is that the members of the guard do not have a way to identify people based on the lock of hair. The samples are sent by some way or other to the capital, where they are cataloged and stored. It is there that they have a way to tell if that person has been in the kingdom before. Therefore, if you had really been considered suspects, you would have had to wait in prison until they had been able to check their records." Dravia pauses. "By the way, I would be very surprised if the samples wouldn't be used for purposes of spying, and I'm not alone: I've heard that many of the wealthy houses of Malager have set up anti-scrying devices to block the diviners of Mugdal. I don't want you to worry too much about your every move being watched, though. They have samples of so many people that they would never have enough mages to check on all of them. And no offense to you, but even a friend of the kingdom is unlikely to be important enough to capture their attention much."

[iop]

[ooc] I assume the absence of posts means that you are waiting for me to finally move on with the story. It is always a little hard in PbPs to figure out how much the players want to drive the story by themselves, and how much they expect the DM to nudge or push.[/ooc]

When no one wants to ask more questions, Dravia brings a glass of water to Marius. Raël asks for some red wine, and after some discussion, he finally decides to try some '95 Hobgoblin from the hills north of Malager, as a preview, so to speak. It is a warm, round wine with just the right hint of fruit "to remind the connoisseur of what the wine is made of". When Dravia brings Raël the glass, he notices that either her fingernails are made from metal, or that Dravia also applies her amazing dexterity to the painting of her fingernails.
Krusk feels himself under a strong inquisitive regard from Dravia, as she passes by his table - or maybe it's just his imagination. Although if he were to speak about it, he would find that Levvenol and Hector, too, get the impression of being scrutinized.
Finally, she returns to the bar, where she clears her throat in a way that makes all of you turn your heads.

"I strongly suspect that the dying man was not worried so much about bringing back the dagger. Before I share my thoughts with you, I would like to ask those who do not care about honoring a dying man's wish to retire to their rooms. I don't want you to burden with the consequences of a request from a thief."