Kendes takes Jandar aside and gets the exact location of his family's address, being familiar with the Field Ward. He passes on that information to Kenny, to make sure the old man's family is taken to safety.
Kenny will seek out a crow or a large jay. First casting animal friendship and then negotiating terms (with pieces of rations or other food bits), he will next ritual-cast animal messenger, giving the bird a description of the temple and contact of Evendur's who works there. The message will be:
Hark! A man comes with a letter from Sir Evendur asking Order of the Gauntlet to help him and family. Names and locations on foot.
He will then write a note as small as he is able, roll it up and attach it to the bird's foot. This note will have the names and locations of the man's family.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Severin looks confused at Kosef. "I think you have me confused with someone else. I'm just a mercenary. From Baldur's Gate. We haven't got a lich king. If it will help me stay alive, I was employed by someone in the Flaming Fist. We were supposed to kill ... one of you. But we were afraid. And then Ivor offered us some more money and allies to do the same job. I'm not some kind of wizard or cultist though. Really, just let me live and I swear I will stop trying to kill you. I'm not even very good at it." (Azbara was the name of the wizard with the hat and the tattoos. Severin is just some guy from Baldur's Gate.)
A friendly crow is willing to carry Kenny's message in exchange for a few scraps of rations, and any berries if he has them. If he has no berries it will demand a couple more bits of rations, and convey disappointment, but will still carry the message.
Jandar supplies Kendes with the details, repeats Marius Greenwell's name a few times to himself, takes the note, thanks everyone one more time, and heads back towards Waterdeep. Severin awaits his fate, and the gnome starts to regain consciousness. He nervously looks around at his surroundings, waiting for the group to deal with him.
Kosef squints at Severin. "I do have you confused with someone else," he says. "Sorry." He thinks for a moment. "You were supposed to kill . . . one of us, you said? Which one? Why?"
As he says this, Kosef will walk over to the waking gnome. He will squat next to him and rest the flat of his giant sword across the gnome's torso, keeping his own hand on the handle.
Kendes squats down by the gnome, looking at him for a few moments. "Your companion made a good life choice for himself. I'm wondering if you have the acumen to do the same, since he requested that we show you some mercy that you haven't really yet earned. Why do you work with the cult? What are you hoping to gain from them? Honesty will be your best ally here."
While Kosef and Kendes visit the gnome, Kenny will sit down near Severin. Taking those portions of the rations the crow didn't finish, he will munch on them himself while he thinks. Eventually he looks up at Severin.
"Let me know if I've got this right:
You and Elif joined the caravan in Baldur's Gate, but you did so under false pretenses.
You were actually on a contract to kill... someone.
Failing that, you met - for the first time, allegedly - Ivor and his cohorts in the Cult of the Dragon, and they paid you again to kill this same person or persons.
You failed again."
He traces the line of his mustache with a finger. "That's quite an adventure." He doesn't ask any questions yet, but allows a little time for Severin to correct him on any points he got wrong.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Severin looks at Kosef, considers what he is going to say, and then says, "We were supposed to kill you. Or teach you some sort of violent lesson." In reply to Kenny's comments, he adds, "Hey, technically we were real caravan guards. We helped defend it. We just had an extra mission in addition to being caravan guards. Which was to kill him." He nods at Kosef. "I really never worked with Ivor until recently, and as you have said, I failed all my attempts. I am genuinely afraid of you people, and I promise to leave you alone if you let me live. And I would also like to remind you my friend is still free and still employed by our original employer, as well as Ivor." He looks hopefully at Kosef, Kenny, and Evendur.
The gnome gives Kendes an irritated look, and says, "My family has served the cult for generations because they have always offered us protection. I was travelling on my way to assist with cult work, and my services were requested by Mister Ivor. Someone as frail as me would love to be out of danger, but I need the protection of the cult. And at least the cultists value me." The gnome is now speaking with a different accent which seems familiar to Kendes. (Intelligence(investigate) it to learn more).
He wonders for a moment if his parents are safe in Baldur's Gate. They are a tough old pair, but he thinks about the fastest way he can get a message to them. He glances up for a moment, having noticed Kenny's skill with birds.
Kendes gets the sense the accent is familiar, but cannot pinpoint it.
Severin says, "I don't know. Someone from the Flaming Fist approached me and Elif, gave a nice sketch of you, and said we were supposed to teach you a lesson about 'disobeying instructions'. You must have irritated someone important. I just wanted the money. I wasn't lying about having debts."
"Hmm," Kosef says. "That makes sense, actually. Orgundis Mackelbe in the Fist spent months teaching me to behead criminals perfectly, then told me to do that job poorly. He took gold from one of the Dukes, I'm sure of it. Rather than a quick, just death, one of that Duke's enemies was to suffer needlessly. At my hands." Kosef chews on his lip a bit. "I do things right. I do them well. Practice is not wasted on me. I told Mackelbe we'd be committing a crime ourselves and he laughed at me. We screamed at each other and I left."
He stares at Severin. "You're not the first he's sent. You won't be the last to fail, probably. But the question is what to do with you now, isn't it?"
Kosef is planning to ask Kenny at some point to send a warning to his parent's in Baldur's Gate. He'll ask them to leave that town.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Kenny finishes the last of the ration he was nibbling on. "Well..." he says, "... a picture is starting to come together at last. I'd still like to know what spell you were counting on to protect you," he says looking at the gnome. "But other than that, I think we understand each other. It's your incredible luck that you've been captured by us. You see, we are the good guys. Unlike the folk you are working for, who would surely have cut your throats and left your bodies to rot by the roadside, we are not wanton thieves and killers. In fact, if you don't do anything that forces us to hurt you, I daresay you stand an excellent chance of making it through to the other side of this adventure."
"That said, neither of you give me the slightest reason to trust you yet. And so we cannot simply release you, ledt you run back to the cult and undo the clever little ruse we have begun. And if death and freedom are both off the table, it seems to me the only other option is to bring you along with us. Assuming, of course, that my friends consent to this idea."
He goes into his pack and pulls out a pair of manacles. "So... which one is most in need of secure bonds..."he asks to himself. He casts guidance on himself before making an insight check to determine which of these two is most dangerous. Insight: 11 plus 4
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Severin seems to be strong and looks fairly resilient, but he has also shown himself to be a coward. He is also probably not dangerous without his weapons. (He had a longsword and a shortsword, which I assume were taken away from him). The gnome on the other hand has a mysterious spell, and seeing as he has no weapons he is likely the source of that spell, suggesting that he might be more dangerous.
Severin says, "You could let me live. I know I'm not as strong as you and your allies, and I'd rather live than die trying to get money." He is sounding a little desperate.
Kosef has a pair of manacles as well. He'll pull them out of his backpack and spend a moment glancing between them and his sword.
Eventually, assuming the others are okay with his actions, he says to Severin, "Reach back. Behind you." Kosef locks Severin's hands together and, if possible, runs the manacles through Severin's belt loop so his hands are tied close to the small of his back as well.
"Wonderful!" Kenny says when he sees Kosef produce the manacles. "I hate having to make tough decisions." He gestures for the gnome to hold out his hands.
"Kosef, might we be better advised to let them be bound in the front? We are still racing time on this trip north and we will want them to be able to handle their horses. If we make them walk, we may be caught from behind."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Kendes steps forward and gags the gnome, then throws a sack over his head (unless the fellow had something else to say pertaining to the conversation). "He had spells, didn't he? I know this seems rough, but I don't trust spellcasters. Even words can make magic."
"That's a good point, Kenny," Kosef says. He thinks for a moment. "If Severin controls a horse and the gnome rides with him, the gnome can remain gagged, bound, and blinded by the hood." He'll switch Severin's manacles so he is bound in front. "One of us perhaps also ought to have a bridle on Severin's horse. Evendur? Is that possible?"
Once the two prisoners are secured, Kosef is ready to go.
When Kendes goes to gag the gnome his hands bump into something invisible in front of where the mouth should be. The gnome says, "Ow!" loudly, and his eyes water slightly. If a sack is put over his head it expands outwards to form a snout shape on the front of his face.
"Ah. It was disguise self after all. No matter. If he won't drop it willingly, we will all get a look at him when the spell wears off in an hour."
Kenny is ready to begin traveling again. Once underway, he will start questioning the group about their adventures before he joined them. With all the subterfuge on the caravan trip, he never really got a chance to swap backstories with any of them. Its not ideal to do it in front of these bozos, but Kenny no longer sees them as a threat.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Kendes takes Jandar aside and gets the exact location of his family's address, being familiar with the Field Ward. He passes on that information to Kenny, to make sure the old man's family is taken to safety.
Kenny will seek out a crow or a large jay. First casting animal friendship and then negotiating terms (with pieces of rations or other food bits), he will next ritual-cast animal messenger, giving the bird a description of the temple and contact of Evendur's who works there. The message will be:
Hark! A man comes with a letter from Sir Evendur asking Order of the Gauntlet to help him and family. Names and locations on foot.
He will then write a note as small as he is able, roll it up and attach it to the bird's foot. This note will have the names and locations of the man's family.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Severin looks confused at Kosef. "I think you have me confused with someone else. I'm just a mercenary. From Baldur's Gate. We haven't got a lich king. If it will help me stay alive, I was employed by someone in the Flaming Fist. We were supposed to kill ... one of you. But we were afraid. And then Ivor offered us some more money and allies to do the same job. I'm not some kind of wizard or cultist though. Really, just let me live and I swear I will stop trying to kill you. I'm not even very good at it." (Azbara was the name of the wizard with the hat and the tattoos. Severin is just some guy from Baldur's Gate.)
A friendly crow is willing to carry Kenny's message in exchange for a few scraps of rations, and any berries if he has them. If he has no berries it will demand a couple more bits of rations, and convey disappointment, but will still carry the message.
Jandar supplies Kendes with the details, repeats Marius Greenwell's name a few times to himself, takes the note, thanks everyone one more time, and heads back towards Waterdeep. Severin awaits his fate, and the gnome starts to regain consciousness. He nervously looks around at his surroundings, waiting for the group to deal with him.
Kosef squints at Severin. "I do have you confused with someone else," he says. "Sorry." He thinks for a moment. "You were supposed to kill . . . one of us, you said? Which one? Why?"
As he says this, Kosef will walk over to the waking gnome. He will squat next to him and rest the flat of his giant sword across the gnome's torso, keeping his own hand on the handle.
Death on the Water and Baldur's Gate Bodyguard
Kendes squats down by the gnome, looking at him for a few moments. "Your companion made a good life choice for himself. I'm wondering if you have the acumen to do the same, since he requested that we show you some mercy that you haven't really yet earned. Why do you work with the cult? What are you hoping to gain from them? Honesty will be your best ally here."
While Kosef and Kendes visit the gnome, Kenny will sit down near Severin. Taking those portions of the rations the crow didn't finish, he will munch on them himself while he thinks. Eventually he looks up at Severin.
"Let me know if I've got this right:
You and Elif joined the caravan in Baldur's Gate, but you did so under false pretenses.
You were actually on a contract to kill... someone.
Failing that, you met - for the first time, allegedly - Ivor and his cohorts in the Cult of the Dragon, and they paid you again to kill this same person or persons.
You failed again."
He traces the line of his mustache with a finger. "That's quite an adventure." He doesn't ask any questions yet, but allows a little time for Severin to correct him on any points he got wrong.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Severin looks at Kosef, considers what he is going to say, and then says, "We were supposed to kill you. Or teach you some sort of violent lesson." In reply to Kenny's comments, he adds, "Hey, technically we were real caravan guards. We helped defend it. We just had an extra mission in addition to being caravan guards. Which was to kill him." He nods at Kosef. "I really never worked with Ivor until recently, and as you have said, I failed all my attempts. I am genuinely afraid of you people, and I promise to leave you alone if you let me live. And I would also like to remind you my friend is still free and still employed by our original employer, as well as Ivor." He looks hopefully at Kosef, Kenny, and Evendur.
The gnome gives Kendes an irritated look, and says, "My family has served the cult for generations because they have always offered us protection. I was travelling on my way to assist with cult work, and my services were requested by Mister Ivor. Someone as frail as me would love to be out of danger, but I need the protection of the cult. And at least the cultists value me." The gnome is now speaking with a different accent which seems familiar to Kendes. (Intelligence(investigate) it to learn more).
Kendes Investigation: 7
"Me?" Kosef says to Severin. "Really? Why?"
He wonders for a moment if his parents are safe in Baldur's Gate. They are a tough old pair, but he thinks about the fastest way he can get a message to them. He glances up for a moment, having noticed Kenny's skill with birds.
Death on the Water and Baldur's Gate Bodyguard
Kendes gets the sense the accent is familiar, but cannot pinpoint it.
Severin says, "I don't know. Someone from the Flaming Fist approached me and Elif, gave a nice sketch of you, and said we were supposed to teach you a lesson about 'disobeying instructions'. You must have irritated someone important. I just wanted the money. I wasn't lying about having debts."
"Hmm," Kosef says. "That makes sense, actually. Orgundis Mackelbe in the Fist spent months teaching me to behead criminals perfectly, then told me to do that job poorly. He took gold from one of the Dukes, I'm sure of it. Rather than a quick, just death, one of that Duke's enemies was to suffer needlessly. At my hands." Kosef chews on his lip a bit. "I do things right. I do them well. Practice is not wasted on me. I told Mackelbe we'd be committing a crime ourselves and he laughed at me. We screamed at each other and I left."
He stares at Severin. "You're not the first he's sent. You won't be the last to fail, probably. But the question is what to do with you now, isn't it?"
Kosef is planning to ask Kenny at some point to send a warning to his parent's in Baldur's Gate. He'll ask them to leave that town.
Death on the Water and Baldur's Gate Bodyguard
Kenny finishes the last of the ration he was nibbling on. "Well..." he says, "... a picture is starting to come together at last. I'd still like to know what spell you were counting on to protect you," he says looking at the gnome. "But other than that, I think we understand each other. It's your incredible luck that you've been captured by us. You see, we are the good guys. Unlike the folk you are working for, who would surely have cut your throats and left your bodies to rot by the roadside, we are not wanton thieves and killers. In fact, if you don't do anything that forces us to hurt you, I daresay you stand an excellent chance of making it through to the other side of this adventure."
"That said, neither of you give me the slightest reason to trust you yet. And so we cannot simply release you, ledt you run back to the cult and undo the clever little ruse we have begun. And if death and freedom are both off the table, it seems to me the only other option is to bring you along with us. Assuming, of course, that my friends consent to this idea."
He goes into his pack and pulls out a pair of manacles. "So... which one is most in need of secure bonds..." he asks to himself. He casts guidance on himself before making an insight check to determine which of these two is most dangerous. Insight: 11 plus 4
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Severin seems to be strong and looks fairly resilient, but he has also shown himself to be a coward. He is also probably not dangerous without his weapons. (He had a longsword and a shortsword, which I assume were taken away from him). The gnome on the other hand has a mysterious spell, and seeing as he has no weapons he is likely the source of that spell, suggesting that he might be more dangerous.
Severin says, "You could let me live. I know I'm not as strong as you and your allies, and I'd rather live than die trying to get money." He is sounding a little desperate.
Kosef has a pair of manacles as well. He'll pull them out of his backpack and spend a moment glancing between them and his sword.
Eventually, assuming the others are okay with his actions, he says to Severin, "Reach back. Behind you." Kosef locks Severin's hands together and, if possible, runs the manacles through Severin's belt loop so his hands are tied close to the small of his back as well.
Death on the Water and Baldur's Gate Bodyguard
"Wonderful!" Kenny says when he sees Kosef produce the manacles. "I hate having to make tough decisions." He gestures for the gnome to hold out his hands.
"Kosef, might we be better advised to let them be bound in the front? We are still racing time on this trip north and we will want them to be able to handle their horses. If we make them walk, we may be caught from behind."
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Kendes steps forward and gags the gnome, then throws a sack over his head (unless the fellow had something else to say pertaining to the conversation). "He had spells, didn't he? I know this seems rough, but I don't trust spellcasters. Even words can make magic."
"That's a good point, Kenny," Kosef says. He thinks for a moment. "If Severin controls a horse and the gnome rides with him, the gnome can remain gagged, bound, and blinded by the hood." He'll switch Severin's manacles so he is bound in front. "One of us perhaps also ought to have a bridle on Severin's horse. Evendur? Is that possible?"
Once the two prisoners are secured, Kosef is ready to go.
Death on the Water and Baldur's Gate Bodyguard
When Kendes goes to gag the gnome his hands bump into something invisible in front of where the mouth should be. The gnome says, "Ow!" loudly, and his eyes water slightly. If a sack is put over his head it expands outwards to form a snout shape on the front of his face.
"Ah. It was disguise self after all. No matter. If he won't drop it willingly, we will all get a look at him when the spell wears off in an hour."
Kenny is ready to begin traveling again. Once underway, he will start questioning the group about their adventures before he joined them. With all the subterfuge on the caravan trip, he never really got a chance to swap backstories with any of them. Its not ideal to do it in front of these bozos, but Kenny no longer sees them as a threat.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Kendes, unwilling to wait that long, just *stares.*
Investigation with advantage because he knows: 17