"I am curious... You and your friends are obviously shapeshifters. I have seen a couple before, and I was wondering what was the source of your curse?" Neya asks.
His hug interrupted, the boy looks even more defeated and afraid. He sighs... "She's gonna kill me..." A second fearful sigh follows before he continues to speak: "Listen, we rob the house of the rich so we can survive. Mama had a whole system, a good plan that landed enough bounty for us to survive in hiding, but not enough to draw too much attention. Then, some Black Fist commander or someone else ordered our scout to serve in Thorn Island and he stopped giving us leads... marks... houses to bust. He never came back so someone probably killed him. That hurt Mama... hurt Mama a lot... she doesn't like losing pack members... We are family. So, she ordered us to strike houses at random. Stuff to loot is more uncertain now. With no leads, we never know what we are going to get, but we hit houses more often now, so it all balances out.... except it is more noticeable."
He pauses to look over you one more time before finishing his tale: "Then there was this one house. The city itself seemed to hate this old gnome who destroyed the Healing Ward in the Old Lyceum, so we went the extra mile and set it aflame once we were done. Give something back to the people, and maybe get them off our backs a bit. So there... I told you everything... can we go now?"
Both Doozey and Neya have enough passive insight to realize that despite revealing quite a bit, the boy is seemingly avoiding your more direct questions.
(OOC: I'll post about the fire scene once we get rolls from either Utar or Graxx as described in our OOC chat.)
"Nice job," the older looking guard says, clearly enjoyed being referred to by the honorific "sir". He pats Utar on the shoulder as if talking to a lower ranked soldier and adds: "Though there might be better ways to put down a fire than using a jug." He and his companion laugh at his supposedly funny joke.
Graxx follows that up by mentioning that the house was boarded up too. The other guard gets in the joke and pats the barbarian on the back: "Good thinking. You mercenaries might make good Black Fist soldiers one day."
With that, the guards leave the scene content with their jests and with the fact someone else did their job for them. Utar and Graxx turn around to look at the house one more time and, with a bit of extra time to analyse their work, note that the sturdy boarding over of the possible entrances was quite a successful job. Someone would have to bring tools and break a sweat to make their way into the house now.
Doozey at least lowered his rapier in response to the question, though only just enough so that it remained pointed at the chest. But after rubbing his chin a few times and nodding to himself, the tip of the weapon is right back against the choice. "An interesting story, and certainly the truth... But you still failed to answer my questions about the Mama, and I'm growing weary of holding my weapon like so. But, I'm a kind fellow. So, I'll give you this one last chance to finish answering my questions. Blow it this time, and I won't bother asking any more. You'll be done in the most permanent sense, and I'll have your sweet, sister here suffer the consequences of your stubbornness." He states sweetly.
"But, one way or another, I will have my answers." He states, tone dropping from sweet to flat in seconds. The words are left to sink in for but a moment or two, as the most dispassionate eyes anyone has likely seen on any halfling's face stares at the boy. "And Mama and your family will either all be dead. Or, depending on how cooperative you remain, maybe they'll be given a like chance to turn over a new leaf. Either which way, your thieving days are done..." He states pointedly.
"...Now let's try this again.... You say you are family, but is she really your Mama? Did she turn you? Take you off the streets, promising your survival or a better life than a dog's death? Heh... Funny." He said mirthlessly. "/What/ did you take from that house just now? What general area is your little hideout? And, what, if anything, do you and yours know of all the dead animals that have been mysteriously cropping up all over town? And lastly.... What is your name boy?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Graxx looks at the jug.. “I’m not sure. We can look it over this evening.”
Graxx places the jug in his bag.
”No that dust must have still been in my eyes. Let’s take a walk around and see if we can locate them. If not they are probably back at the Goblin waiting for us to regroup.”
Graxx will walk around town in no general direction as he doesn’t know which way to go. Does he notice Doozey or Neya?
Neya looks at Doozey wide-eyed, taken aback by Doozey's venomous tirade. Even she is intimidated by the fact he has no trouble terrorizing children in an alley.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
AT THE FIRE SCENE
No longer surrounded by spectators, fans, or guards, Utar and Graxx wonder what to do next. Utar shows some curiosity about the magical jug they now carry, but Graxx affirms that studying time can wait. The barbarian then leads his companion into a general search for the rest of CRAP. They walk down a number of streets looking for signs of their companions but find no obvious leads. In fact, they might have taken a few turns too many. All the houses in the residential district begin to look a little too similar and, if it weren't for Graxx's experience with maps and geography (Wanderer Background), they wouldn't even be sure of how to head back to the burnt home.
While following Graxx around in this ultimately fruitless search, Utar catches with the corner of his eye a curious sight. A black raven perches on a gate, seemingly looking at the cleric as they pass by one of these streets. A dead mouse is caught in its talons. It is an eerie image all together.
AT THE ALLEYWAY
DM Screen:
SH: 17
Doozey continues to put pressure on the tied teenager as Neya's face begins to show that she might not fully agree with the approach. The boy begins to answer the first question: "Mama is.. our leader. She leads the pack, like an alpha adoptive mother. We have all..." he stops mid-sentence as the rope on his back becomes visually less taut. After a brief pause, he continues to speak, but the shoddy rope-tying job becomes obvious to everyone. "We were all given the gift by Mama, yes, though we are all different."
He begins to wiggle as he speaks: "We took... things. Items that looked valuable. Coins, metal, that sort of thing. I was left behind to start the fire, so I don't have any of it with me. They are gone, alright? Mama probably has them by now, so now they are hers." His voice begins to crack and he is sweating bullets. "We hide in a wooded area just outside of town, OK? Let me go and I'll never leave the woods again. C'mon... let us go."
Graxx notices Utar looking at the Raven and looks over.
"Ah... I know it's normal but.. Sometimes nature can be so rough... This killing has become so natural it's sometimes hard to forget for every life we take someone's family is left with a loss..."
Graxx shakes his head.
"Enough of that. Can't be dwelling on it. Looks like this birds taken a liking to you, Utar."
"Wooded area? Could you mean the Quivering Forest?" Neya asks to confirm. "I suppose that's as good of a place to hide out as any. Not a lot of people go there. I only went as far as the fringes for an investigation, myself. Did not find what I was looking for..."
Doozey gives the boy a 'really now?' look as soon as saw the ropes give away. Which was totally a shoddy job on purpose just to make it easier to be seen... Totally! "Is that the name of the place? Good to know. And this time, you have two very experienced hunters at your side, so no failing this time." He said without taking his eyes off the boy for even a second, and Biscuit "Boofs" in agreement. Then seeming to notice the lengthiness of the conversation, Doozey sighs and says, "Biscuit. Fetch Utar."
The Tundra mastiff gives a reluctant sounding "Boof" of acceptance, and then following a few sniffs at the boy and girl, the Tundra Mastiff bounds off. "I have so many more questions. Chief among them being how this Mother of your is spreading 'The Gift', as you say. If I didn't know any better, I would assume she's a fallen member of my Order. And in which case, there may be common ground to work out." He admits, rubbing his chin few times. "Something to consider. Since you've been so cooperative, I suppose some reward. Miss Neya. Would you help this too sleep now? We can't have them warning her before we're ready, after all." He asked, giving her a sidelong look, before snapping back to the two.
"And don't worry. You won't have to worry about the Black Fist. I'll be minding you two from now on, I think."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
(OOC: Hmm... It seems Utar and Graxx disagree on where to go to wait for their companions. I'll assume one destination but feel free to correct it in your next posts.)
The crying boy clarifies Neya's point: "Quivering Forest? No, we ain't going near those creepy woods. We don't want to die." Looking at her map of the town, Neya deduces that the shapechanger likely meant one of the smaller wooded areas just at the edges of town (the map shows three of them) or perhaps one of the two parks within the city.
Getting closer to the answers he wants, Dozzey sends Biscuit to fetch the other two-fifths of CRAP. He should have no trouble finding the scents of his close-by companions. Turning back to the boy, the hunter extracts another piece of information. "It's a blood thing... she shares her blood with us and we become family." Following Doozey request for Neya to force the boy unconscious, he adds.. "No, no, no.... I've answered your questions... C'mon... I cooperated, you said it yourself... please," he cries, "PLEASE!"
That last scream is enough to finally wake the girl, though she looks very groggy and unable to speak for the moment. Noticing this, the boy begins screaming loudly: "PLEASE, ANYONE! PLEASE HELP.... THEY ARE GOING TO KILL US, PLEASE! HELP!"
Elsewhere, unable to locate their friends and unbothered by the curious raven, Graxx and Utar decide to return to Rillo Leadstopper's house and wait. A bit worried about the time of day, Utar looks up and sees that the sun is dipping. He has no more than three hours before sundown, he gathers.
A few minutes after they get back to the burnt house, Biscuit appears from around a corner, barking loudly and turning in circles (reminiscent of ol' Lassie and her 'Timmy fell down a well' routine).
"That's quite enough tormenting them, Doozey!" Neya says with a firm tone. "Let'sleave this alley, cool our heels, and wait for Biscuit to reunite us with the others."
"As for these two... Back up a bit..." She takes a few steps away from them, takes out a five copper pieces, concentrates on one of them an tosses them to two teenagers. As soon as the coins settle, the one Neya concentrated on suddenly blossoms into a a sphere of darkness (2 ki points, the spell is anchored to the coin), with her and Doozey just outside of it.
(@Drache: Uh... Did you mean to use Silence isntead? Otherwise, they'll just keep calling even more attention to the darkness.)
For just a sliver of a second, Neya might catch genuine murderous intent beneath a disapproving veneer in the stoutling's expression the moment the two teenager's began calling out for help. "What?" He said, turning to Neya with a genuine look of confusion. "I had already stopped -- You want to -- their gonna-...." He starts and stops again, looking increasingly frustrated with himself. For each time he tried to complete a sentence, a new thought left him tongue tied.
He does eventually gives up and shoots the kids a sharp look. "You run, and you really regret it." He warns, already forgetting or blatantly ignoring Neya's Wishes, before sheathing his rapier and complying to at least the request to stand back. Once the ball of darkness does pop up, he turns sharply to Neya with an even more incredulous look. "You-... Your-... Miss Neya, what are you-...." He stops abruptly, realizing perhaps that any argument on his part now would just fall on deaf ears. So with his hands balled up into tight fists at his side, the stoutling followed after the Monk in silence.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Seeing Biscuit trotting purposefully up the street, Utar kneels, getting on eye level with the dog. Failing to see either Neya or Doozey with him, Utar turns and asks Biscuit directly,
"Do you know where the others are? Can you point the way?"
Assuming that Biscuit takes off down the street, Utar follows and waves to Graxx to follow.
After rounding the corner out of the alley, Neya starts speaking in a hushed tone, "That first part was for their benefit. Your methods, while rather intense, did reveal much."
"However, as much as it did help, there's no ignoring that boy's shout. If there was a sudden silence after something like that, that would raise an alarm we do not need."
"Further, the optics of a couple of adults standing triumphant over children will not look good."
"Instead, what I did hopefully achieves two things: First was to prevent them from knowing where we went; and second..." She snaps her fingers, ending her concentration on darkness. "Make them out to be liars. Two unbound children with a few coins? It would only look like a couple of beggar children trying extort some poor saps for more."
"Also, we are still a relative unknown outside of our clients and the names 'Neya' and 'Doozey' sound rather made-up, yes?"
"I am curious... You and your friends are obviously shapeshifters. I have seen a couple before, and I was wondering what was the source of your curse?" Neya asks.
Extended Signature
AT THE ALLEYWAY
His hug interrupted, the boy looks even more defeated and afraid. He sighs... "She's gonna kill me..." A second fearful sigh follows before he continues to speak: "Listen, we rob the house of the rich so we can survive. Mama had a whole system, a good plan that landed enough bounty for us to survive in hiding, but not enough to draw too much attention. Then, some Black Fist commander or someone else ordered our scout to serve in Thorn Island and he stopped giving us leads... marks... houses to bust. He never came back so someone probably killed him. That hurt Mama... hurt Mama a lot... she doesn't like losing pack members... We are family. So, she ordered us to strike houses at random. Stuff to loot is more uncertain now. With no leads, we never know what we are going to get, but we hit houses more often now, so it all balances out.... except it is more noticeable."
He pauses to look over you one more time before finishing his tale: "Then there was this one house. The city itself seemed to hate this old gnome who destroyed the Healing Ward in the Old Lyceum, so we went the extra mile and set it aflame once we were done. Give something back to the people, and maybe get them off our backs a bit. So there... I told you everything... can we go now?"
Both Doozey and Neya have enough passive insight to realize that despite revealing quite a bit, the boy is seemingly avoiding your more direct questions.
(OOC: I'll post about the fire scene once we get rolls from either Utar or Graxx as described in our OOC chat.)
Persuasion - 16
Graxx and Utar have the same +1 to persuasion/deception so feel free to attribute the check to either. Or both.
AT THE FIRE SCENE
"Nice job," the older looking guard says, clearly enjoyed being referred to by the honorific "sir". He pats Utar on the shoulder as if talking to a lower ranked soldier and adds: "Though there might be better ways to put down a fire than using a jug." He and his companion laugh at his supposedly funny joke.
Graxx follows that up by mentioning that the house was boarded up too. The other guard gets in the joke and pats the barbarian on the back: "Good thinking. You mercenaries might make good Black Fist soldiers one day."
With that, the guards leave the scene content with their jests and with the fact someone else did their job for them. Utar and Graxx turn around to look at the house one more time and, with a bit of extra time to analyse their work, note that the sturdy boarding over of the possible entrances was quite a successful job. Someone would have to bring tools and break a sweat to make their way into the house now.
Doozey at least lowered his rapier in response to the question, though only just enough so that it remained pointed at the chest. But after rubbing his chin a few times and nodding to himself, the tip of the weapon is right back against the choice. "An interesting story, and certainly the truth... But you still failed to answer my questions about the Mama, and I'm growing weary of holding my weapon like so. But, I'm a kind fellow. So, I'll give you this one last chance to finish answering my questions. Blow it this time, and I won't bother asking any more. You'll be done in the most permanent sense, and I'll have your sweet, sister here suffer the consequences of your stubbornness." He states sweetly.
"But, one way or another, I will have my answers." He states, tone dropping from sweet to flat in seconds. The words are left to sink in for but a moment or two, as the most dispassionate eyes anyone has likely seen on any halfling's face stares at the boy. "And Mama and your family will either all be dead. Or, depending on how cooperative you remain, maybe they'll be given a like chance to turn over a new leaf. Either which way, your thieving days are done..." He states pointedly.
"...Now let's try this again.... You say you are family, but is she really your Mama? Did she turn you? Take you off the streets, promising your survival or a better life than a dog's death? Heh... Funny." He said mirthlessly. "/What/ did you take from that house just now? What general area is your little hideout? And, what, if anything, do you and yours know of all the dead animals that have been mysteriously cropping up all over town? And lastly.... What is your name boy?"
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
As the guards wander off, Utar turns to Graxx and points towards the jug,
"What do you reckon that thing does anyway? Endless cold drinks?"
Turning and looking over the streets he adds,
"Did you see which way the others went?"
Graxx looks at the jug.. “I’m not sure. We can look it over this evening.”
Graxx places the jug in his bag.
”No that dust must have still been in my eyes. Let’s take a walk around and see if we can locate them. If not they are probably back at the Goblin waiting for us to regroup.”
Graxx will walk around town in no general direction as he doesn’t know which way to go. Does he notice Doozey or Neya?
Perception: 3
Neya looks at Doozey wide-eyed, taken aback by Doozey's venomous tirade. Even she is intimidated by the fact he has no trouble terrorizing children in an alley.
Extended Signature
AT THE FIRE SCENE
No longer surrounded by spectators, fans, or guards, Utar and Graxx wonder what to do next. Utar shows some curiosity about the magical jug they now carry, but Graxx affirms that studying time can wait. The barbarian then leads his companion into a general search for the rest of CRAP. They walk down a number of streets looking for signs of their companions but find no obvious leads. In fact, they might have taken a few turns too many. All the houses in the residential district begin to look a little too similar and, if it weren't for Graxx's experience with maps and geography (Wanderer Background), they wouldn't even be sure of how to head back to the burnt home.
While following Graxx around in this ultimately fruitless search, Utar catches with the corner of his eye a curious sight. A black raven perches on a gate, seemingly looking at the cleric as they pass by one of these streets. A dead mouse is caught in its talons. It is an eerie image all together.
AT THE ALLEYWAY
DM Screen:
SH: 17
Doozey continues to put pressure on the tied teenager as Neya's face begins to show that she might not fully agree with the approach. The boy begins to answer the first question: "Mama is.. our leader. She leads the pack, like an alpha adoptive mother. We have all..." he stops mid-sentence as the rope on his back becomes visually less taut. After a brief pause, he continues to speak, but the shoddy rope-tying job becomes obvious to everyone. "We were all given the gift by Mama, yes, though we are all different."
He begins to wiggle as he speaks: "We took... things. Items that looked valuable. Coins, metal, that sort of thing. I was left behind to start the fire, so I don't have any of it with me. They are gone, alright? Mama probably has them by now, so now they are hers." His voice begins to crack and he is sweating bullets. "We hide in a wooded area just outside of town, OK? Let me go and I'll never leave the woods again. C'mon... let us go."
The girl begins to regain consciousness.
Graxx notices Utar looking at the Raven and looks over.
"Ah... I know it's normal but.. Sometimes nature can be so rough... This killing has become so natural it's sometimes hard to forget for every life we take someone's family is left with a loss..."
Graxx shakes his head.
"Enough of that. Can't be dwelling on it. Looks like this birds taken a liking to you, Utar."
Utar takes a second glance at the raven and then leaves it to what he presumes is it's meal.
"Guess we hear back to the house? Wait for the others?"
He glances up to the sky trying to gauge the time.
“Only thing I can think to do.” says Graxx.
Graxx will lead Utar back to the Goblin.
"Wooded area? Could you mean the Quivering Forest?" Neya asks to confirm. "I suppose that's as good of a place to hide out as any. Not a lot of people go there. I only went as far as the fringes for an investigation, myself. Did not find what I was looking for..."
Extended Signature
Doozey gives the boy a 'really now?' look as soon as saw the ropes give away. Which was totally a shoddy job on purpose just to make it easier to be seen... Totally! "Is that the name of the place? Good to know. And this time, you have two very experienced hunters at your side, so no failing this time." He said without taking his eyes off the boy for even a second, and Biscuit "Boofs" in agreement. Then seeming to notice the lengthiness of the conversation, Doozey sighs and says, "Biscuit. Fetch Utar."
The Tundra mastiff gives a reluctant sounding "Boof" of acceptance, and then following a few sniffs at the boy and girl, the Tundra Mastiff bounds off. "I have so many more questions. Chief among them being how this Mother of your is spreading 'The Gift', as you say. If I didn't know any better, I would assume she's a fallen member of my Order. And in which case, there may be common ground to work out." He admits, rubbing his chin few times. "Something to consider. Since you've been so cooperative, I suppose some reward. Miss Neya. Would you help this too sleep now? We can't have them warning her before we're ready, after all." He asked, giving her a sidelong look, before snapping back to the two.
"And don't worry. You won't have to worry about the Black Fist. I'll be minding you two from now on, I think."
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
(OOC: Hmm... It seems Utar and Graxx disagree on where to go to wait for their companions. I'll assume one destination but feel free to correct it in your next posts.)
The crying boy clarifies Neya's point: "Quivering Forest? No, we ain't going near those creepy woods. We don't want to die." Looking at her map of the town, Neya deduces that the shapechanger likely meant one of the smaller wooded areas just at the edges of town (the map shows three of them) or perhaps one of the two parks within the city.
Getting closer to the answers he wants, Dozzey sends Biscuit to fetch the other two-fifths of CRAP. He should have no trouble finding the scents of his close-by companions. Turning back to the boy, the hunter extracts another piece of information. "It's a blood thing... she shares her blood with us and we become family." Following Doozey request for Neya to force the boy unconscious, he adds.. "No, no, no.... I've answered your questions... C'mon... I cooperated, you said it yourself... please," he cries, "PLEASE!"
That last scream is enough to finally wake the girl, though she looks very groggy and unable to speak for the moment. Noticing this, the boy begins screaming loudly: "PLEASE, ANYONE! PLEASE HELP.... THEY ARE GOING TO KILL US, PLEASE! HELP!"
Elsewhere, unable to locate their friends and unbothered by the curious raven, Graxx and Utar decide to return to Rillo Leadstopper's house and wait. A bit worried about the time of day, Utar looks up and sees that the sun is dipping. He has no more than three hours before sundown, he gathers.
A few minutes after they get back to the burnt house, Biscuit appears from around a corner, barking loudly and turning in circles (reminiscent of ol' Lassie and her 'Timmy fell down a well' routine).
"That's quite enough tormenting them, Doozey!" Neya says with a firm tone. "Let's leave this alley, cool our heels, and wait for Biscuit to reunite us with the others."
"As for these two... Back up a bit..." She takes a few steps away from them, takes out a five copper pieces, concentrates on one of them an tosses them to two teenagers. As soon as the coins settle, the one Neya concentrated on suddenly blossoms into a a sphere of darkness (2 ki points, the spell is anchored to the coin), with her and Doozey just outside of it.
She then turns to leave the alley.
Extended Signature
(@Drache: Uh... Did you mean to use Silence isntead? Otherwise, they'll just keep calling even more attention to the darkness.)
For just a sliver of a second, Neya might catch genuine murderous intent beneath a disapproving veneer in the stoutling's expression the moment the two teenager's began calling out for help. "What?" He said, turning to Neya with a genuine look of confusion. "I had already stopped -- You want to -- their gonna-...." He starts and stops again, looking increasingly frustrated with himself. For each time he tried to complete a sentence, a new thought left him tongue tied.
He does eventually gives up and shoots the kids a sharp look. "You run, and you really regret it." He warns, already forgetting or blatantly ignoring Neya's Wishes, before sheathing his rapier and complying to at least the request to stand back. Once the ball of darkness does pop up, he turns sharply to Neya with an even more incredulous look. "You-... Your-... Miss Neya, what are you-...." He stops abruptly, realizing perhaps that any argument on his part now would just fall on deaf ears. So with his hands balled up into tight fists at his side, the stoutling followed after the Monk in silence.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Seeing Biscuit trotting purposefully up the street, Utar kneels, getting on eye level with the dog. Failing to see either Neya or Doozey with him, Utar turns and asks Biscuit directly,
"Do you know where the others are? Can you point the way?"
Assuming that Biscuit takes off down the street, Utar follows and waves to Graxx to follow.
Graxx draws his glaive readying for the first battle with it.
”I’m with you! This doesn’t look good!”
Graxx charges with Utar following Biscuit.
After rounding the corner out of the alley, Neya starts speaking in a hushed tone, "That first part was for their benefit. Your methods, while rather intense, did reveal much."
"However, as much as it did help, there's no ignoring that boy's shout. If there was a sudden silence after something like that, that would raise an alarm we do not need."
"Further, the optics of a couple of adults standing triumphant over children will not look good."
"Instead, what I did hopefully achieves two things: First was to prevent them from knowing where we went; and second..." She snaps her fingers, ending her concentration on darkness. "Make them out to be liars. Two unbound children with a few coins? It would only look like a couple of beggar children trying extort some poor saps for more."
"Also, we are still a relative unknown outside of our clients and the names 'Neya' and 'Doozey' sound rather made-up, yes?"
Extended Signature