"Quentin," Wendell continues, "Will you please escort us to the Captain, or-should you have any remaining doubts as to our authority-would you please send someone to fetch him so that he can verify our credentials himself?"
"Quentin," Wendell continues, "Will you please escort us to the Captain, or-should you have any remaining doubts as to our authority-would you please send someone to fetch him so that he can verify our credentials himself?"
[Persuasion, no Advantage - Sgt Quentin is not impressed.]
Pulling out and presenting his letter signed by Sir Marius, Elaric addresses the sergeant. "Sergeant Quentin, we are lawfully appointed agents, not only of the city Council, but specifically of the man who appointed your captain to his position. I am aware that I have no authority to command you, but I do ask you to consider the political nature of this issue: you just upset one council member who can make your captain's life difficult. Surely, to turn away the agents of another council member can only make more trouble for the man. All I ask is that you send one guard to tell the captain five agents of Sir Marius Van Der Wuulf seek but a moment of his time. At worst, we will waste very little time; at best, you and your men will be able to go home sooner tonight."
Pulling out and presenting his letter signed by Sir Marius, Elaric addresses the sergeant. "Sergeant Quentin, we are lawfully appointed agents, not only of the city Council, but specifically of the man who appointed your captain to his position. I am aware that I have no authority to command you, but I do ask you to consider the political nature of this issue: you just upset one council member who can make your captain's life difficult. Surely, to turn away the agents of another council member can only make more trouble for the man. All I ask is that you send one guard to tell the captain five agents of Sir Marius Van Der Wuulf seek but a moment of his time. At worst, we will waste very little time; at best, you and your men will be able to go home sooner tonight."
The Sgt doesn't even look at the letter. He fixes Elaric with a cold eye.
"You got a lot of nerve trying to play politics with an officer of the law, stranger. I'd suggest you move off, before I have my boys move you off. As for you," addressing Baron Odalis, "you got my sympathy my lord, but really, nobody's coming in here right now. The captain will take full responsibility, with your house and the council, his words himself."
"Please," pipes up the priest of Helm in a quavering voice, "My lord Baron, the...the Temple of Helm..."
Baron Odalis seems to deflate.
"Very well," he says. "My granddaughter must rest. We will take her to the Temple of Helm. Come, friends."
He gestures to the funeral train, which slowly mobilizes to carry the bier further down the road. Neither the Baron nor Sgt Quentin address any member of the party, though the latter eyes them meaningfully. The crowd of commoners, still grumbling, begins to disperse.
"Friends, if we are being turned away here, we have more productive uses for our time," Wendell says, putting a hand on Elaric's shoulder and scowling at the sergeant, "Let us go to the temple proper. A pleasant day to you, Quentin."
After a moment to compose himself, Elaric turns, rather sheepishly, to his companions. "My apologies to you all. It seems I misjudged my diplomatic accumen with the sergeant. Perhaps we shall have better fortunes when we reach the temple."
The party arrives at the doors of the Temple of Lathander without further incident, and presents their credentials to a pair of guards considerably more cooperative than Sgt Quentin. Escorting our heroes past a crowd of the faithful gathering for evening prayer, they are brought to a small side room, where they are asked to wait. After a few minutes, a tall, middle-aged priest with a small red beard and a worried expression joins you, introduces himself as Father Mirko, and asks how he can help you.
Gong accompanies his companions to the Temple of Helm in silence. Despite the previous diplomatic setbacks, he will continue to trust them with the necessary social courtesies for now.
"Father Mirko, thank you for meeting with us. I am Wendell, this is Gong, Skoth, Elaric and Balasar. Sir Van Der Wuulf has asked us to look into Acolyte Neven's death."
The priest sits down and examines your credentials, then takes a deep breath.
"You have my gratitude, and that of the Temple and the faithful of Lathander. Next time you see your noble patron, please extend our thanks for his continued support. Acolyte Neven's murder is a great loss to this city and the faith, for we had high hopes for him. He even showed early promise of being sent to the hierarchy for training as a cleric. Now, alas..."
He sighs, rubs his eyes, and then says.
"I suppose you will have questions before you are allowed into the catacomb. Please, whatever you may require, but ask."
"Father Mirko, I know this will be unpleasant, but we must ask; what can you tell us about acolyte Neven's death? How did he die? We know his body was found torn and partially eaten, but is it known whether this was the cause of his death or a horror inflicted afterward? Was there anything unusual about his duties on the night of his death? Was there any reason to suspect he would be in danger?"
"Father Mirko, I know this will be unpleasant, but we must ask; what can you tell us about acolyte Neven's death? How did he die? We know his body was found torn and partially eaten, but is it known whether this was the cause of his death or a horror inflicted afterward? Was there anything unusual about his duties on the night of his death? Was there any reason to suspect he would be in danger?"
Father Mirko passes a hand across his face and responds haltingly, answering Elaric’s questions more or less at random.
“No, we had not the least suspicion of any danger. Even now, this bizarre tragedy baffles us. Acolyte Neven was engaged in his usual duties: keeping the lamps lighted, the floors swept, and the incense burning at the votive altars. I am afraid his wounds were too...terrible...to deduce the cause of death. He entered the catacomb an hour after midnight, and was not discovered until dawn. Brother Barto was the last to see him alive, when he passed on the catacomb keys as Acolyte Neven began his duties. After the body was discovered, we sent for the guard immediately, of course. The captain had the catacomb thoroughly searched, but found no sign of the killer, or how...whatever it was...might have entered or left. Since then, we have kept the crypts locked and guarded while we wait for a high-ranking cleric of our order to arrive and assess the site for...diabolical influences.” He shudders, and mutters a prayer under his breath.
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"Sergeant Quentin," responds the guard, stolidly deadpan. For him, this is Tuesday.
"Quentin," Wendell continues, "Will you please escort us to the Captain, or-should you have any remaining doubts as to our authority-would you please send someone to fetch him so that he can verify our credentials himself?"
[Persuasion, no Advantage - Sgt Quentin is not impressed.]
11
"Nothing doing. You want to talk to the Captain, you can get in line and wait here until he comes out. There ain't no invitations to this party."
Pulling out and presenting his letter signed by Sir Marius, Elaric addresses the sergeant. "Sergeant Quentin, we are lawfully appointed agents, not only of the city Council, but specifically of the man who appointed your captain to his position. I am aware that I have no authority to command you, but I do ask you to consider the political nature of this issue: you just upset one council member who can make your captain's life difficult. Surely, to turn away the agents of another council member can only make more trouble for the man. All I ask is that you send one guard to tell the captain five agents of Sir Marius Van Der Wuulf seek but a moment of his time. At worst, we will waste very little time; at best, you and your men will be able to go home sooner tonight."
[Persuasion, Advantage]
6
OOC: wowwwwwww……..
The Sgt doesn't even look at the letter. He fixes Elaric with a cold eye.
"You got a lot of nerve trying to play politics with an officer of the law, stranger. I'd suggest you move off, before I have my boys move you off. As for you," addressing Baron Odalis, "you got my sympathy my lord, but really, nobody's coming in here right now. The captain will take full responsibility, with your house and the council, his words himself."
"Please," pipes up the priest of Helm in a quavering voice, "My lord Baron, the...the Temple of Helm..."
Baron Odalis seems to deflate.
"Very well," he says. "My granddaughter must rest. We will take her to the Temple of Helm. Come, friends."
He gestures to the funeral train, which slowly mobilizes to carry the bier further down the road. Neither the Baron nor Sgt Quentin address any member of the party, though the latter eyes them meaningfully. The crowd of commoners, still grumbling, begins to disperse.
"Friends, if we are being turned away here, we have more productive uses for our time," Wendell says, putting a hand on Elaric's shoulder and scowling at the sergeant, "Let us go to the temple proper. A pleasant day to you, Quentin."
Annoyed by his diplomatic misfortunes, Elaric allows Wendell to steer him away from the guards.
Balasar remains quiet as he accompanies his companions away from the scene.
After a moment to compose himself, Elaric turns, rather sheepishly, to his companions. "My apologies to you all. It seems I misjudged my diplomatic accumen with the sergeant. Perhaps we shall have better fortunes when we reach the temple."
The party arrives at the doors of the Temple of Lathander without further incident, and presents their credentials to a pair of guards considerably more cooperative than Sgt Quentin. Escorting our heroes past a crowd of the faithful gathering for evening prayer, they are brought to a small side room, where they are asked to wait. After a few minutes, a tall, middle-aged priest with a small red beard and a worried expression joins you, introduces himself as Father Mirko, and asks how he can help you.
Gong accompanies his companions to the Temple of Helm in silence. Despite the previous diplomatic setbacks, he will continue to trust them with the necessary social courtesies for now.
"Father Mirko, thank you for meeting with us. I am Wendell, this is Gong, Skoth, Elaric and Balasar. Sir Van Der Wuulf has asked us to look into Acolyte Neven's death."
The priest sits down and examines your credentials, then takes a deep breath.
"You have my gratitude, and that of the Temple and the faithful of Lathander. Next time you see your noble patron, please extend our thanks for his continued support. Acolyte Neven's murder is a great loss to this city and the faith, for we had high hopes for him. He even showed early promise of being sent to the hierarchy for training as a cleric. Now, alas..."
He sighs, rubs his eyes, and then says.
"I suppose you will have questions before you are allowed into the catacomb. Please, whatever you may require, but ask."
"Father Mirko, I know this will be unpleasant, but we must ask; what can you tell us about acolyte Neven's death? How did he die? We know his body was found torn and partially eaten, but is it known whether this was the cause of his death or a horror inflicted afterward? Was there anything unusual about his duties on the night of his death? Was there any reason to suspect he would be in danger?"
Father Mirko passes a hand across his face and responds haltingly, answering Elaric’s questions more or less at random.
“No, we had not the least suspicion of any danger. Even now, this bizarre tragedy baffles us. Acolyte Neven was engaged in his usual duties: keeping the lamps lighted, the floors swept, and the incense burning at the votive altars. I am afraid his wounds were too...terrible...to deduce the cause of death. He entered the catacomb an hour after midnight, and was not discovered until dawn. Brother Barto was the last to see him alive, when he passed on the catacomb keys as Acolyte Neven began his duties. After the body was discovered, we sent for the guard immediately, of course. The captain had the catacomb thoroughly searched, but found no sign of the killer, or how...whatever it was...might have entered or left. Since then, we have kept the crypts locked and guarded while we wait for a high-ranking cleric of our order to arrive and assess the site for...diabolical influences.”
He shudders, and mutters a prayer under his breath.