"Us? We were.... Oh! Hey! Watch out!" Ink cries out.

Just then the great horned owl, Quill, buzzes by the guard with a flyby and pulls away, at about chest level, from both Ink and the guard!

Ink tracks Quill as she pulls away with his finger, pointing at her.... When she's about forty feet away, Ink points to the ground about fifteen feet beyond the guard and as he does, he says, "You'd think that at this time of day that bird would be asleep!"

// Sleep at THIRD Level... 45 of HP affected by the spell... Hopefully, the guard is not looking at Ink but is tracking Quill, so that he doesn't notice the spell casting... //

//  Stealth (DEX) check 10 //

// Ink's initiative... 22 

“Hey, watch out!” The guard goes to draw his sword, momentarily distracted by Quill, but bumps into Ink as he is casting the incantation. He turns around to see the sand in Ink’s hand. 

”What are you...” 

// Initiative for Ink please! //

The guardsman’s eyes widen for a moment, then he slumps forward, unconscious. 

Ink immediately catches him, drags him into the alley, and gently places him down, in a seated position against the wall, commenting, "I knew he looked tired..."

Ink takes a parchment and writes, "Sorry!" in it, then uses it to wrap up five gold pieces. He places the final product in the guard's hand and closes the man's fist around it. 

Ink stands up straight and says, "We've less than a minute before he wakes - let's take this conversation elsewhere."

He motions for everyone to get moving. He takes his travel cloak off and throws it around the woman, "You, too, we need to talk."

The cloaked woman, obviously unable to escape and seeing what Ink just did to the guardsman, rolls her eyes, even more exasperated than before.

”Fine, but you’ve got to help me. Please! I have no idea how many people Captain Brenner is willing to kill, or how many are on his payroll. I took the prison roster to see if maybe there were people checking in on my husband, but nothing useful came of it. I’ll go with you–as long as you swear you’ll get Harthal out of there. Tonight.”

"Need to use sending to get the waterbaron to look at the body, I assume the wounds don't match a greatsword. Tell her Brenner killed the man and set Harthal up. Flint can cast zone of truth to force Brenner to confess perhaps? could get him released in a few hours if we're lucky."

"That will still be considered hearsay - not worth it. We need to get to the body... Flint - can't you speak with the dead? And I believe Crownsguard can compel others to speak the truth due to the gifts bestowed by his oath," Ink responds.

An idea forming in his mind, he continues, "Don - the Waterbaron likes you, soy why don't you take Flint and Crownsguard to her, see if you can't get access to the body as well as a stay of execution... You can suggest that after speaking to a material witness, currently in hiding for fear of his or her life, you have reason to believe Brenner set Harthal up in order to take his greatsword and armor, which he did by unlawfully removing them from the evidence chambers after he had Harthal arrested."

"Flint can speak with the victim once given access - be sure to have an impartial witness present that will attest to the results of your spell."

"Crownsguard could compel the truth from either the victim or Brenner, or both, if need be."

"I suggest that Matrix and I take Sanra here to the Wink and Wisp - I'm sure the establishment will protect her, for a fee, and the guards will know better than to go against the tavern's... management group."

Ink says all the above as they WALK HASTILY AWAY FROM THE SLEEPING GUARD. 

Trotting to keep up with Ink "ah don' have any o' those rites ready, will have ta be th' morrow. We splittin' up then?"

With the inability to speak to the deceased victim tonight, your options—and time—wear thin.

Sanra, Harthal Zymorven’s wife, is comforted by the confidence you have in your relationship with the Waterbaron. “That’s wonderful! I knew you had to be important, being received at the Waterbaron’s Hall like that. But that you are also honorable...I’m just thankful at my good fortune, finding you—“

Her words falter as, on the way to the Wink and Kiss, on the nearly abandoned night streets, you find yourself confronted by a group of about a half dozen figures, appearing as if out of an inky blackness. They stand over a dozen yards away, clearly blocking your path down this narrow street.

Crownsguard will move in front of the party, “Hello.”

“Give us the girl, and you can be on your way.” The middle figure, human, speaks with authority, but something about his voice is slightly off. He wears a robe and is completely bald.

Matrix leans over to Don and whispers "After all the things we've fought with these guys, a bunch of thugs just isnt as threatening as it used to be." He then fold his jacket back and grips the Thunder Dragon, in classic gunslinger style "clear out, apparently there's a no loitering law in effect. Dont want do get in trouble do we?" Again he whispers to Don, "do your talking thing, trigger fingers getting itchy."

Don casually places a hand on Matrixs shoulder and steps forward.

"If you are looking for money, I can tell you I don't have money. But what we do have are a very particular set of skills, skills we have acquired over a very long career, skills that make us a nightmare for people like you. If you leave now, that'll be the end of it." Don closes his eyes for a few seconds.

His eyes snap open glowing red, "If you don't, then it will end badly for you, we will fight you and we will kill you. It won't be like a bards story where you die in glory, you will be cut, burned your bodies reached with pain."

"We are seeking justice, we do not wish to kill you, in the end though, you will be dead and we will continue to seek justice."

Persuasion: 27
Intimidation: 20

Quote from Awaypturwpn >>

“Give us the girl, and you can be on your way.” The middle figure, human, speaks with authority, but something about his voice is slightly off. He wears a robe and is completely bald.

 Is it an accent that Ink recognizes ("his voice is slightly off")? If not, then "off" in what sense? What are the colors of his robe? Does he have the head tattoos of the Red Wizards of Thay? 

Following Don's lead, Matrix's eye also begins glowing red.

// Ink may make a Perception check as to the man's nature. The man's face is actually stark naked, with no hair whatsoever, and no tattoos. The map is updated in Roll20, just to give you a sense of the environment. //

The man opens his eyes wide, and even from this distance, you can see that they are black, like the blackness behind him, through which you cannot even see street lamps. As you speak, you can barely discern a low hum coming from the man, but when Matrix and Don's eyes glow red, the hum grows instantly to a high-pitched whistle. A sudden, strong blast of humid wind hits you square in the face! 

// Everyone please make a DC 13 Strength Saving Throw or be pushed backwards 15 feet, and then you take take a turn if you wish. In this narrow street with the crazy strong wind blowing at you, you must spend 2 feet of movement for every one foot that you wish to move closer to the man with the black eyes—should you in fact wish to do so! //

Str: 23 (add+3 if athletics applies)

Flint steps up behind matrix and casts  spirit guardians excluding our party and Sanra.

As the ghosts of Flint's ancestors appear on the streets in front of Crownsguard, Flint says "be warned, th' girl is unner ar protection. Approach at yer own peril." 

15' radius, speed halved, first round damage if they approach 11, wis dc14 for half. 

//couldn't move my token on roll20//

// Sorry about that, you should be able to move yourself now. Also I moved the token for you. //

// Also, it's a STR Saving Throw, not a check, so yes you get Crownsguard's aura bonus! //