Quote from AlaricBrand >>

Perception: 12

[[Some success: Although clearly of Sorendenese blood, she is one of the fairest-skinned Sorian women Brand has ever seen. Looking over her shoulder into the room, Brand sees few personal possessions. He also has the impression that this woman is nervous for some reason, even though she is putting on a brave face.]]

"Its not an inconvenience; anyone who works with my father is deserving of our hospitality and respect.", he bows his head slightly again, and turns to Mikkel, "Tell Abrams not to boot anyone else out of their bed. If necessary I will sleep on a camp bed in the library."

Then, almost as an afterthought, he turns back to the woman and asks "Have the meetings finished for the day, or are there more planned?"

 [[Is this persuasion or intuition or both: he's trying to find out if she's included in the meeting and if there are more planned]]

[[Make an Insight check to see if Brand can work out any reason why she hesitates over the last bit of the sentence.]]

"Yes, Master Alaric," says Mikkel before heading off to find the housemaster.

Now alone with the woman, Brand turns back to the woman and asks, "Have the meetings finished for the day, or are there more planned?"

"Oh, I'm not involved in them," replies the woman with some surprise. "I've been in hiding in here all day at your... at your father's request."

[[Make an Insight check to see if Brand can work out any reason why she hesitates over the last bit of the sentence.]]

Insight: 17 (am silently praying to Venuss)

Edit: And here's the XP roll. Venuss has cursed me: 9

[[My best guess at this stage is that she's a Tarrantine (daughter). Any resemblance? Did he have children?]]

Brand nods, "While you are cooped up in here, is there anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable? I plan to visit the city this afternoon, so if there is anything you might need, just say so."

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

[[Make an Insight check to see if Brand can work out any reason why she hesitates over the last bit of the sentence.]]

Insight: 5 (am silently praying to Venuss)

Edit: And here's the XP roll. Venuss has cursed me: 15

[[My best guess at this stage is that she's a Tarrantine (daughter). Any resemblance? Did he have children?]]

[[Have added 15 experience points to Brand's character sheet, but he has no idea why the woman hesitated, and isn't able to tell if there is a resemblance because of the difference of gender.]]

Brand nods, "While you are cooped up in here, is there anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable? I plan to visit the city this afternoon, so if there is anything you might need, just say so."

"No, no, I am imposing enough as it is," she replies looking passed Brand up the corridor. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm not supposed to be here."

She then goes to close the door.

Alaric nods, then turns to search for Mikkel or Abrams, and his gear. [[He will head to the library (if there is one) if all else fails.]]

[[Given his mothers interests, I imagine that the Estate has a library and the library here might be more of a map room, office or reading room. If it is a library, then there would be misssing books...unless there are his-and-hers libraries.]]

Alaric has his leather armour with him—Mikkel not being able to carry everything of Brands plus his own gear at the same time—so he heads to the library looking for a place to change.

Although called a library, there are not many books in it. There are, however, many maps and references books as well as large tables on which to lay out maps for study.

When he enters the library, he sees that there is a map of part of the city laid out on one of the tables. The map is surrounded by the evidence that this map has been the centre of attention to a number of people recently. He is about to investigate further when a voice calls to him from the one other door that gives entrance to this room.

"Hello Alaric. Couldn't keep away, I see."

It is Brand's father.

Behind the door, Brand can see another room—his father's study—in which there are a number of people.

"Father, it is good to see you!" [[Do whatever boys do in this world: hugs, kisses, manly embrace, hand shake or polite wave]]]. "I was actually looking for a place to change since my rooms are ... unavailable at the moment. I'm afraid I upset Abrams by arriving unannounced."

He pauses, watching his father for signs of reaction, then points to the map on the table [[and I take a photocopy]], "This looks ominous, given the apparent mood of the town."

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

"Father, it is good to see you!" [[Do whatever boys do in this world: hugs, kisses, manly embrace, hand shake or polite wave]]].

Brand's father comes forward as if to embrace him and then hesitates. In the end, they settle on a manly handshake. 

"I was actually looking for a place to change since my rooms are ... unavailable at the moment. I'm afraid I upset Abrams by arriving unannounced."

Without skipping a beat, Brand's father laughs and says, "Don't worry about Abrams. He'll get over it soon enough."

He pauses, watching his father for signs of reaction, then points to the map on the table [[and I take a photocopy]], "This looks ominous, given the apparent mood of the town."

Koric's eyes flick to the map on the table, but then they come back to Alaric's face and he says, "Mood? What have you seen?"

[[Make a Perception check.]]

Perception: 20 [[Edit: getting reaslly tired of bad rolls!]]

"People leaving with what looks like no intention to return; a guard at the gate told me the city was on edge. It is not the same city that I left; I was planning to try to find out more this afternoon."

[[The title on the map reads 'Temple Ward: Section D'. It is professionally drawn in ink, but Brand can't work out which exact part of the city it is without a closer look.]]

"People leaving, you say," he says putting his hand up to his chin in his customary manner. "This is news to me."

Then he asks, "Which gate and which guard?"

[[How did the roll go?]]

"One of the guards we met, it's probably best not to interrogate him, and I could be mistaken" [[Correct me if I am wrong, they WERE leaving, weren't they?]]

"I believe he said the death of one of the nobility had people spooked, and that the temple was riled up by unbelievers. Now I come home to find you deeply ensconced in meetings, and...". He laughs, "...my rooms not even ready. Things seem to have gone to wrack and ruin in my absence."

Brand glances in the direction of the office, "But, in all seriousness father, what is going on?"

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

[[How did the roll go?]]

[[A partial success. The roll was Brand following his father's glance at the table and seeing what I described.]]

"One of the guards we met, it's probably best not to interrogate him, and I could be mistaken" [[Correct me if I am wrong, they WERE leaving, weren't they?]]

[[Brand and Mikkel entered Constantine on the main road that heads south out of the city. If the people Brand is talking about stayed on that road, they would indeed not only leave the city, but also the country of Engle, to enter the Hartus Plains.]]

"I believe he said the death of one of the nobility had people spooked, and that the temple was riled up by unbelievers. Now I come home to find you deeply ensconced in meetings, and...". He laughs, "...my rooms not even ready. Things seem to have gone to wrack and ruin in my absence."

"Wrack and ruin," he says, "I wouldn't go so far as to say that. But maybe the temple's attempts to declare non-Mithran religions anathema in the city is driving people out. I suspect the people you saw were mainly Stemians? Correct?" [[From what Brand can remember, this is correct.]]

 

Brand glances in the direction of the office, "But, in all seriousness father, what is going on?"

"... I suspect the people you saw were mainly Stemians? Correct?" [[From what Brand can remember, this is correct.]]

Brand nods then glances in the direction of the office, "But, in all seriousness father, what is going on?"

Brand's father follows his glance to the men in the office, some of whom are looking in their direction. He then says, "Some sort of plot against the hierarchy of Engle, perhaps... You may have heard the rumours about the death of Greft Tarantine not being an accident? Well there seems to be some truth in that—magic was involved in his death. And now evidence has come to light about another plot. A plot to poison some of the richest people in the city.

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

"... I suspect the people you saw were mainly Stemians? Correct?" [[From what Brand can remember, this is correct.]]

Brand nods then glances in the direction of the office, "But, in all seriousness father, what is going on?"

Brand's father follows his glance to the men in the office, some of whom are looking in their direction. He then says, "Some sort of plot against the hierarchy of Engle, perhaps... You may have heard the rumours about the death of Greft Tarantine not being an accident? Well there seems to be some truth in that—magic was involved in his death. And now evidence has come to light about another plot. A plot to poison some of the richest people in the city.

[[OK, I made a connection to the Water Carriers in the World Anvil site; is Brand likely to make that connection, glancing at the map again, does it show water? I expect you will say roll some dice; I'm happy if you do that for me...

Edit: Note that there are multiple possible reasons for no connection: (a) there is none, (b) he could not possible connect it, or (c) he knows enought about it to know it's not possible or extremely hard]]

[[What you see on the world site is information known to your character, be it general public knowledge or knowledge more specific to your character. You can do with it what you want, but I wouldn't base any special consideration on when it goes up as it will go up when I think of it or as I get around to it. In this case, Brand would know that there are many sections of the city where tax payers who can't afford to sink their own wells get their water allocation delivered by third parties. He may, or may not, think this is relevant in this case.]]

[[If DOES NOT make any connection, then:]]

"I can understand the urgency. Perhaps we can discuss this tonight? I have some matters to attend to in the City; but I would be happy to help."

[[If he DOES make the connection:]]

"The Water Carriers. Is that what the map is about, the water supply?"

---

[[NOTE: The stuff below is copied from a previous page and is included not because it is urgent, but because I don't want to forget it....]]

[[ About the dreams: all I have is "The terror of fleeing through a dark world of unforgiving stone and cold is fading, but for the moment, he can still remember the glowing red eyes that chased him through the darkness."

If he's having them regularly, he should take notes (I think I even recall that advice from Nathaniel about lucid dreaming).

1. Can you list common threads?
2. Common images?
3. Are they (eyes/setting) at all familiar?
4. Can he control the dreams?
5. Is anyone else present?
6. Are they associated with Astral Travelling? Precede? After? With? After long break?
7. Does he have a sense of what the eyes look like? Glowind red...surrounded by human eye sockets, or something else?
   
8. Just confirming: he feels that the eyes are definitely hunting him?

Re: Astral Travel:

• I'd suggest it only restarted in the last month or so, otherwise you are going to face me asking for details of 3 months Astral Travelling
• Perhaps with the restart, Brand also started planning his return...is that when the dreams started, or was it more immediate when he started returning?
• He would be cautious at first, finally heeding Nathaniels warnings -- perhaps just exploring New Nineveh a little.The caution won't last tho, now he's back in Constantine.
• How often does he travel, and is he much closer to control? He's been meditating for a while, and reading Nathaniels book...

]]

[[I will leave it up to you as to what you have Brand say next.]]

[[" tax payers who can't afford to sink their own wells get their water"; that pretty much covers it for now]]

"I can understand the urgency. Perhaps we can discuss this tonight? I have some matters to attend to in the City; but I would be happy to help."

"Hmm," says Brand's father rubbing his chin again. "I'm not sure you should be involved in what we're planning here. If things go wrong, it could be very bad for the family if you're involved."

He then says, "But, if you could talk to your contacts about any politically active groups in the city, it could be very useful."

Looking over his shoulder, he then adds quietly, "I'm not sure I'm getting proper information at the moment, so some sort of confirmation would be good."

"I'll consult my friends, but from the sounds of it, whether I'm directly involved in your plans or not, things could be bad for the family. I imagine we are all targets. I'd prefer not to have my hands tied while wearing a blindfold."

"Targets?" says Koric, surprised. "Why do you think we are targets? These threats, if they are connected, seem to be against the Engelian state and the temple, nothing to do with our family, or even the empire, at the moment."

He then considers Brand and asks, "Is there something else? Something you haven't told me?"

"Why would someone who targets 'the richest people in the city', or as you also said 'the hierarcchy of Engle', respect the details of our lineage? To many we would be one and the same. Your work and connections speaks to that. Unless you think the threat comes from Sorenden, of course. Do you have any idea what their motive may be?" 

Koric Brand laughs when Alaric suggests the threat might come from Sorenden. He then says, "The warlord was Sorendenese, as are most of the people who would have been affected by the poison."

He then thinks for a moment before saying, "If anything, a racial motive could tie these two threats together. Perhaps we are dealing with a separatist group rebelling against Sorendenese rule... Though, I have seen no evidence of such a group before this, so it seems unlikely."

Brand smiles, and "Indeed. So you see my point; we have no idea who they are threatening, or why", and lowering his voice he continues, "They have already killed a Sorendenese, we should assume that our family is as likely to be a target as any other rich or powerful family in Engle." He glances to the office, "I don't think, that for me, keeping a safe distance is an option. You are the one who wanted me involved in this, after all. However, I doubt I would contribute to the meeting today, but I may be able to start gathering infomration this afternoon. We should talk later."

With that, Brand starts changing out of his armour.

[[Next Steps: Find Mikkel, change to street gear, go to SooS, then seek out Dalshar. If there are protocols to seeking Dalshar (disguise, letter drop, whatever) let me know, and I may need to do those before going to SooS]]