Seeing everyone start to leave, Marvin, you take that as a cue to separate from the group early and go off to drink the night away at the bar until you pass out. Soon after, Zanibi, Amy, and Inquisitive leave the room to retire for the night.
Marvin:
Walking up to the bar, you order another tankard of ale and prepare for a night of drinking. You were more tired than you anticipated, as it only takes a few sips of ale to make you drift off to dreamland.
It takes a while to cross the boundary between dreamless sleep and REM sleep, but soon enough you find yourself in a small glass room, suspended in the air. There is nothing but water below you, and the sky is stained in an eternal purple twilight. In the corner of your eye, there's always something---lurking, wheezing, seething---but every time you look at it it darts away. You sit down in the corner of the room to rest, the figure just out of view. Slowly your vision begins to darken as the mass gets closer and closer to you. You can't look away, you can't close your eyes. You can't move. Everything you try to do to make it stop fails and only makes you more paranoid. You're bound by invisible chains to sit in the same position and look at the wall for what feels like an eternity as the thing creeps closer. Minutes turn into years, stuck in the same position. You can hear it now, rasping and groaning just outside your line of sight like a corpse. "Maaaaaarrrvvviiinnnn," it moans, festered vocal chords distorting the sound and making it gargle. "Maaaaaarrrrvvviiinnn." Closer now, and you can smell it rotting next to you. The creaking of sinew fills the empty room as the thing lifts a finger and rakes it down the side of your face. It burns, its nail tearing through the flesh on your cheek, and the only thing you can think of doing is to scream. "MAAAAAAAARRRRRVVVVVIIIIIINNN," its voice is a high-pitched screech. The noise and the burning and the smell of death fills the air, and just when you think you can't take it anymore----
You wake up, to find yourself slumped over the bar of The Lazy Peacock, with Alisa sitting down behind the counter reading a thick book. It's early in the morning.
(I'll finish this thing with Nyral really fast, and I'll let you know when we move on to the next day!)
Zanibi:
Reading Elibyn's letters takes you a while. There are many letters, all coming from Jez. Jez in Pisor, Jez at the border of Abri, Jez abroad. She tells stories of soldiers with trenchfoot, and refugees on the brink of death suffering from exhaustion. Stories of little children that have lost everything but still play happily with rocks. Nothing about nightmares. The photo album you brought along with you gives you nothing more than what you already know.
You drift off to sleep easily, and when you wake up the next morning you feel well-rested. Nothing particularly interesting happened in your sleep. If you had a dream, you don't remember.
(I'll finish this thing with Nyral really fast, and I'll let you know when we move on to the next day!)
Amy:
Going off to rest for the night, you say your goodbyes and get ready for bed. You're able to fall asleep quickly. Your dreams are filled with mundane happenings, nothing particularly of note. When you wake up in the morning, you've forgotten what your dream was about.
(I'll finish this thing with Nyral really fast, and I'll let you know when we move on to the next day!)
Inquisitive:
After taking your leave with a curt nod of your head, you settle down for the night. You open up the journal you kept from Elibyn's house and read as much as you can. You are able to understand the following: Elibyn's family came from Jovin, a neighboring country, that was locked in a bloody civil war a couple decades back. You estimate that they came to Abri, and eventually to Esperal, as refugees around 18--19 years ago.
Having nothing more to read, and nothing more to glean from what you've read, you put the literature away and retire for the night.
Nothing particularly special happens in your dreams---but the dream itself is a little unnerving. You spend the entire night dreaming of watching yourself sleep through Redraziel's eyes. Sometimes, when you ask it to keep awake at night, your telepathic link causes you to dream of what it sees. You're used to it, but watching yourself sleep is an eerie activity that you can't ever shake the feeling of ick away. You wake early the next morning, feeling mostly the same---not well-rested, but not exhausted.
(I'll finish this thing with Nyral really fast, and I'll let you know when we move on to the next day!)
Truador:
Getting ready to rest for the night, you say your goodbyes and settle in, in Nyral's room. You're able to fall asleep quickly. Your dreams are filled with mundane happenings, nothing particularly of note. When you wake up in the morning, you've forgotten what your dream was about.
(I'll finish this thing with Nyral really fast, and I'll let you know when we move on to the next day!)
(God that's a lot of spoilers. We'll continue with the next day, once I finish this last thing with Nyral. Just sit tight for a little!)
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Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin'sFrom Dusk to Dawn Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
Nyral nods in agreement. He has a lot to share after all. Waiting for Marvin to leave the drow offers his hand out for her to take. He has a sly grin as he waits for her to take his offered hand. Once she does he says "Hold on then." Normally he needs his hands for the somatic components to cast his spells but being one armed he often doesn't have that luxury. As such he spent a lot of time learning how to cast spells without the need for movement. He learned he could even cast spells without the need for words. All he needed was to wear his focus. A gift given to him by his mentor and person he respects the most. It glows a bit as he focuses on his magic and picturing the secret room that only a few know about Nyral uses the spell dimension door to shift both him and Alisa into the location. Any spies or onlookers would have no idea where they went as nothing was said and to an outside force it would look like they just vanished. He chose to cast it because he noticed they were alone and a bit of magic can always impress. A sudden feeling on being pulled in the direction he wanted as the pair are teleported into a new location.
Spell Cast:: Dimension Door - 1 Sorcery point used for subtle spell.
Looking around the large hidden room Nyral remembers the time he and his family had to hide here after a botched job. Luckily the sisters were in the know and part of an organization called the Painted Begonias. They kindly hid him and his family from authorities for about a month. Bringing them food and other such things until it was safe to leave. He came to know the sisters over this time and found the Alisa very charming. The wide room with a pair of beds was extra large for smuggling or hiding items if needed and blankets and such could be brought down if the pair of beds was not enough. Two entrances are in this room. One a set of stairs that leads to a hidden entrance and another a long tunnel that makes for a good escape when one is in a bind. Room 13 was the place to be if the authorities were on your heals and you needed a place to be safe.
He lets go of her hand once they teleported and takes a seat on one of the beds. the oddly large and empty room almost a welcoming sight to the drow. He looks back to Alisa with a sly smile and says "I wanted to show you this trick last time we met. I wish it was under friendlier circumstances though." He then shifts into a more business like demeanor as he continues with "The white dragonborn, Truador, is staying with me so I shouldn't take too long. I think he can be trusted and I kind of like him. Not sure about all the others yet. The lead detective, Inquisitive, is way too keen. I have to be extremely careful what I say and do around him. Anyway..."Nyral begins to inform Alisa about the curse marked pillows and the three victims. Giving her everything he knows about how the curse might work, symptoms, and where it was located.
"So, that's what I know about the method of attack. To me it seems way too much a coincidence not to be connected to the way people are being killed. I wanted to make sure you and Maggie know so you can take steps to protect yourself. We don't know how the spell is being cast or how they are getting the mark on the pillows but definitely something to worry about. If you know anyone or can find out if anyone is showing signs of that then let me know. Perhaps we can catch the culprit in the act and save someone if we are quick enough. I also wanted to ask, is there some criminal operation that Thaymoor or their wife Tare was involved in? I'd like to eliminate the idea this is some kind of retaliation from our side of the legal spectrum. I didn't find any connections from Thaymoor's place."
Having primarily shared the information to her so they could protect themselves he awaits answers as well as any information she feels they need to share.
((Rolled a 6 on d6))
((I'll try to be quick on replies today hopefully get through this quick for everyone. No peeking if you like Nyral being a mystery))
It doesn't take long for Marvin to slump over, asleep, at the bar. Whatever you do won't be noticed by him.
Alisa takes your hand as you offer it, raising an eyebrow at the strange gesture. Once you both arrive, she takes a few small steps back. "Well. That's new." Brushing her skirt off instinctually, she regains her grounded composure; but you notice a small smile escape her lips. "Right. You had something important to tell me?"
She stays standing as you tell her everything you know. Attentive, she looks at you right in the eyes, and you see her jaw clenching a little when you mention Thaymoor and Tare. She's silent for a good minute after you finish, taking everything in. "Thaymoor is just a farmer. Tare is too much of a law-abiding citizen to be a part of any criminal organization. I've never seen her at any of the Painted Begonias meetings, and I haven't heard anything from.... Elibyn." Trailing off, she takes a deep breath in. "Maggie and I haven't had any nightmares recently. Everything's been working well for us. Thanks for showing concern." Her face softens a little, shaking her hands loosely. "I'll let you know if I experience anything else." She walks to the wall directly in front of you, pulling on a short rope hanging overhead. A trapdoor opens on the ceiling, and a rope ladder falls from the new cavity. You recognize this as a direct passage to the main floor---two floors up---where the barroom sits. "I have to go, make sure Marvin hasn't fallen off his stool. Thanks for letting me know. About this. Should I have breakfast ready for you and your friends, when you wake up?" After receiving an answer, she gives you a small wave and begins climbing up the ladder. Halfway up, she stops. "Be careful. We've lost too many, too soon. I don't want to lose another." After an appropriately solemn pause, she disappears up into the trapdoor, pulling it close behind her.
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Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin'sFrom Dusk to Dawn Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
Nyral seems relieved hearing that there isn't any connection to Theymoor. Having warned the sisters as well as finding no connection he was feeling good the few people he knew in this area are or would be informed what to look out for. "Yes, of course." He nods to her request to get back to the counter. Respecting the signal their conversation is at an end. He follows up with switching to the more neutral conversation she offered "I would love some breakfast if its not too much trouble, a few plates of something fruity perhaps? I do very much enjoy the waffles here. Top those with berries and cream and that'd be perfect." He begins to follow to leave the secret room as well when she stops and shows concern. Nyral knows better then to give bravado. He didn't live as long as he did being overconfident. So he says "I'll be extra careful. You stay safe too." With that she leaves his company and he makes his way back to his room. Feeling confident she will bring him news of anyone showing the deadly symptoms. He arrives back in his room and tries to be very quiet not to wake Truador. Snoring or not Nyral would only teleport him if he seems to wake otherwise he makes his way to his extra large bed. He does a quick scan of his pillow with his detect magic spell and once satisfied it's safe goes to sleep for the evening.
After making sure there is nothing on your pillow, you retire for the night after a long day of funerals and investigative work. Exhausted, you're able to fall asleep easily.
Your dream consists of vague, shattered visions of completely mundane events. A group of black-clad people, running towards the bright lights of a circus; Marvin, asleep and hunched over the bar of the Lazy Peacock; a firbolg couple with their small child walking side-by-side along Esperal's Main Street. You dip in and out of these fragmented dreams, and the whole night feels much like a trip down the lazy river. You wake up comfortably early in the morning, and feel well-rested.
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Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin'sFrom Dusk to Dawn Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
You all wake up relatively early, excited for another day of sleuthing and investigating. The birds are singing, perched on trees outside the inn. The weather is nice and warm, mostly clear skies extending towards infinity beyond your windows. The day seems perfect in every way; that is, if you weren't investigating the recent tragedies that have befallen the town of Esperal.
You all decide to meet in Nyral's room, and one by one you get ready for the day and gather there. Alisa and Maggie bring up a large breakfast of waffles up to the room, enough for all of you to get a decent meal.
(Alrighty! Day 2, here we go. I'm excited to see what you guys are able to uncover today!
Feel free to describe when and how you wake up, how you get ready, anything else you might think of, etc. Or, as always, don't! Up to you.)
Nyral wakes up fairy early. Never needing a lot of sleep every night they find they are awake before the white dragonborn. The drow smiles and decides to see how many pillows it takes to wake up a dragonborn. They use mage hand to move various pillows around the room. The floating spectral clockwork hand expertly picking up pillows around the room as Nyral begins to stack them all on top of Truador. Pillow after pillow he continues to stack them. He seems to lose interest after a bit though. It causes them to pause then they just chuck a pillow at Truador's face to wake him up. Perhaps a bit harder then they meant to.
"Up and at them Truador." The drow moves to prepare the area for breakfast being delivered. Having placed the order they hope it comes soon. "I ordered some breakfast. Hope you slept well. No idea when the rest will show up."
Amy, having gone to bed earlier than her normal late nights, rises with the sun. She gets ready quickly and decides that she has enough time to read through another chapter of the book she had nabbed the night before. She grabs a piece of toast as her breakfast and heads over to Nyral's.
Truador immediately wakes up when the pillow hits his face. Seems how his mouth was slightly open, it gets caught on his teeth when he pulls it off. Spitting out some feathers, he moves into a sitting position, causing the stack of pillows topples over and scatters on the floor. He looks at the drow, "Did I really snore that loud? I thought you said you would teleport me into the closet, not make a pillow castle on top of me." He smiles, "You sure are up early, I usually sleep for another hour." He is used to staying awake far into the night. Though he never thought he got up late, in fact he usually gets up fairly early.
"I slept well indeed, this couch is far softer than what I'm used to sleeping on. Thank you again for letting me stay here." He starts picking up the pillows and tossing them back wherever they go. As he bends down, a pendant falls out of his shirt, dangling from a chain around his neck. After putting the last pillow away, he tucks the pendant back into his shirt. "Breakfast sounds wonderful," He flashes his wolfish grin. "The others have better hurry though. Or else it might all be gone before they get here."
Inquisitive waked up early. He always did during a case, eager to continue the investigation. He washed up quickly and dressed before bringing his gear and collected evidence as he walked across the hall to Nyral's suite. "Good morning, hope you all slept well." He said to Nyral, Truador and Amy, taking a cup of coffee and drinking it by the window while waiting for Marvin and Zanibi to join them. That civil war, it seemed important. They still needed to find the motive, and he was certain it was to be found in the victim's past.
Nyral smiles. "No, no that loud. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. Sorry if it startled you. I guess I was feeling mischievous. Unusual for me these days." The drow seems fixated on clearing the mess of a table for the breakfast. Only using his one arm despite having seen him use his mage hand before. "You're welcome to stay the next few night while we work on this too. I still reserve the right to teleport you though."
Nyral seems to notice the necklace as he picks up with Truador. After the dragonborn puts it away he says "Yeah, I requested.." a knock at the door as the pair are brought food for the morning by Alisa and Maggie. He greets them and has them setup the breakfast spread of waffles, fruit and whip cream on the table. Some syrups on the side as well as plates. Once they leave Nyral looks back to Truador and says "Hungry?" then he will sit down and eat while waiting for others. If Truador joins him he eventually asks "That's a nice necklace. Any story with it?"
Answer or not he eats until Inquisitive and Amy arrives and greets them for the morning. "Ah, good morning. Yes I slept well."
"Oh no,"Truador laughs, "I don't startle that easily." He doesn't comment on the fact that Nyral isn't using mage hand. "I would appreciate it. I don't exactly have much in the way of money, so finding a room can be hard at times."
Truador sits down at the table with Nyral. When his necklace is mentioned, a sadness fills his eyes. He pulls it out of his shirt so Nyral can see it better. It is a simple iron pendant in the shape of a wolf's head, with red stones for eyes. After a moment, he puts it away again, "This was given to me by my parents. They gave it to me so I could understand--" His sentence is cut off as Amy and Inquisitive enter the room. "Good morning to you as well," He replies to Inquisitive.
Zanibi was up fairly late, reading through Elibyn's notes and letters. Even so she's up not too long after the sun. Quickly she prepares and hurries down to Nyral's room. It seems most of the others are there already, save Martin. "Good morning! Good morning!" she says cheerily. "Oh! Waffles! Fruit! Whip cream!" She hurries over and grabs a plate, placing one waffle then fruit and whip cream on top. She places another waffle on top of that, also putting fruit and whip cream on top of it. She continues until she has five waffles stacked up. "Perfect! That's a good start!" She finds a place to sit and digs in to the food.
She speaks quickly between bites. "Still going with our plan for today? I'm off with Nyral and Truador to Calda's house? I hope you two can deal with interviewing the others. I'll check out the place. Any new developments over the night? Everyone sleep well? Ready to hit the road running so to speak?" Somehow, despite all of her chatter, the waffles are soon gone.
"Slept well thank you Zanibi."Inquisitive said, turning from the window to face the others. "Just waiting for Marvin now. Thanks for providing us with this excellent breakfast Nyral." He said with a nod, taking a waffle of his own although not nearly as excitedly as Zanibi. "I suppose you could go ahead when you've finished breakfast. Me and Amy will wait a bit longer for Marvin before we head out I think." He said, taking a bite of his waffle. "Ready to head out soon Amy?" He said, walking over to the pink-haired woman.
Marvin begins to stir and comes to face down at the bar. Still sitting in his stool with a full tankard in front of him. He managed not to spill it while passed out. After fully- or mostly coming to and looking around, he looks around the tavern and speaks up once he spots Alisa "Oh shoot. I'm sorry Alisa, I did mean to leave last night" he rubs the back of his head as he stretches his back and neck "I'm not sure what happened though. What are you doing here so early? You've slept right?"Marvin then gets up, looking a little more alert "Shoot. Did I miss them Alisa? Have they taken off and left me here?"
He leaves the bar, leaving his tankard where it stands and heads upstairs to the room the drow was in last night. While walking, he checks over his body for any physical marks from his dream. Additionally, assuming its listening, he gives a mental threat to whatever it was he saw in his sleep. You think you're so tough attacking me in my sleep. Come out while I'm awake and try that. See what happens!
The dragonborn was interrupted mid sentence by the arrival of the others. Nyral nods to him that they can pick up the conversation later. The drow nods to Amy, Inquisitive and Zanibi as they enter and hands them both a plate to enjoy the meal Nyral got for them all. As they compliment the meal and thank him, he replies "I was happy to provide something delicious. I have to say these waffles are the best things I've eaten. Crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I don't even know how they did it but I definitely want the recipe." The waffles quickly vanish from the large serving tray the largest portion went into the smallest of the group. He looks at Zanibi with a bit of wonder as they tried to puzzle out where they were fitting five of these waffles complete with an entire fruit salad on top of them. "Someone has a voracious apatite." he chuckles.
As talk turns to business Nyral nods, "I am ready to head out. I was curious if either of you managed to find anything interesting in the various journals or notes we gathered. Other then that, I'm good to go. How about you Truador?" looking to the big dragonborn he tries to gauge how ready the first group is. The drow isn't at all surprised that man didn't show during the breakfast meeting and adds "You two are welcome to wait here for Marvin. I did see him passed out at the bar last night though so I suspect he will be sleeping in trying to fight off a terrible hangover."
"Oh, well, let's hope he's still able to guide us around town."Inquisitive said with a tired sigh, finishing his third cup of coffee. "I read through the journal we took from Elibyn's house last night. It seems her family came here just under 20 years ago as refugees of the civil war of Jovin. Anyone happen to know a lot about that war, particularly any incidents and atrocities that would have taken place at the end of it, or perhaps even after it but connected to the war? I think we already know Elibyn's parents were killed after being hunted down. I'm not sure but I believe this could be important. We should check if the others have a connections to Jovin or that civil war in any way."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Jorvincivil war huh? I'll keep an out out for things like that. Twenty years isn't that long ago. Civil wars cause a lot of hate, that's for sure. Who won would be first question and someone could definitely be holding a grudge pending which side they were on. Assuming this is how the victims are connected of course. What do we know about that civil war?" Nyral tries to think on anything he knows of that event.
"I'm ready,"Truador replies as he finishes his own heaping plate of food. Listens to Inquisitive and Nyral talk about the war. He agrees that wars, especially civil wars can cause a lot of hate. Hate that can last through generations. He tries to remember anything he can about the Jorvin Civil war. What houses were involved? Who won? How was the war won? Who was hurt them most and who benefited the most from the conflict?
History: 19
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Seeing everyone start to leave, Marvin, you take that as a cue to separate from the group early and go off to drink the night away at the bar until you pass out. Soon after, Zanibi, Amy, and Inquisitive leave the room to retire for the night.
Marvin:
Walking up to the bar, you order another tankard of ale and prepare for a night of drinking. You were more tired than you anticipated, as it only takes a few sips of ale to make you drift off to dreamland.
It takes a while to cross the boundary between dreamless sleep and REM sleep, but soon enough you find yourself in a small glass room, suspended in the air. There is nothing but water below you, and the sky is stained in an eternal purple twilight. In the corner of your eye, there's always something---lurking, wheezing, seething---but every time you look at it it darts away. You sit down in the corner of the room to rest, the figure just out of view. Slowly your vision begins to darken as the mass gets closer and closer to you. You can't look away, you can't close your eyes. You can't move. Everything you try to do to make it stop fails and only makes you more paranoid. You're bound by invisible chains to sit in the same position and look at the wall for what feels like an eternity as the thing creeps closer. Minutes turn into years, stuck in the same position. You can hear it now, rasping and groaning just outside your line of sight like a corpse. "Maaaaaarrrvvviiinnnn," it moans, festered vocal chords distorting the sound and making it gargle. "Maaaaaarrrrvvviiinnn." Closer now, and you can smell it rotting next to you. The creaking of sinew fills the empty room as the thing lifts a finger and rakes it down the side of your face. It burns, its nail tearing through the flesh on your cheek, and the only thing you can think of doing is to scream. "MAAAAAAAARRRRRVVVVVIIIIIINNN," its voice is a high-pitched screech. The noise and the burning and the smell of death fills the air, and just when you think you can't take it anymore----
You wake up, to find yourself slumped over the bar of The Lazy Peacock, with Alisa sitting down behind the counter reading a thick book. It's early in the morning.
(I'll finish this thing with Nyral really fast, and I'll let you know when we move on to the next day!)
Zanibi:
Reading Elibyn's letters takes you a while. There are many letters, all coming from Jez. Jez in Pisor, Jez at the border of Abri, Jez abroad. She tells stories of soldiers with trenchfoot, and refugees on the brink of death suffering from exhaustion. Stories of little children that have lost everything but still play happily with rocks. Nothing about nightmares. The photo album you brought along with you gives you nothing more than what you already know.
You drift off to sleep easily, and when you wake up the next morning you feel well-rested. Nothing particularly interesting happened in your sleep. If you had a dream, you don't remember.
(I'll finish this thing with Nyral really fast, and I'll let you know when we move on to the next day!)
Amy:
Going off to rest for the night, you say your goodbyes and get ready for bed. You're able to fall asleep quickly. Your dreams are filled with mundane happenings, nothing particularly of note. When you wake up in the morning, you've forgotten what your dream was about.
(I'll finish this thing with Nyral really fast, and I'll let you know when we move on to the next day!)
Inquisitive:
After taking your leave with a curt nod of your head, you settle down for the night. You open up the journal you kept from Elibyn's house and read as much as you can. You are able to understand the following: Elibyn's family came from Jovin, a neighboring country, that was locked in a bloody civil war a couple decades back. You estimate that they came to Abri, and eventually to Esperal, as refugees around 18--19 years ago.
Having nothing more to read, and nothing more to glean from what you've read, you put the literature away and retire for the night.
Nothing particularly special happens in your dreams---but the dream itself is a little unnerving. You spend the entire night dreaming of watching yourself sleep through Redraziel's eyes. Sometimes, when you ask it to keep awake at night, your telepathic link causes you to dream of what it sees. You're used to it, but watching yourself sleep is an eerie activity that you can't ever shake the feeling of ick away. You wake early the next morning, feeling mostly the same---not well-rested, but not exhausted.
(I'll finish this thing with Nyral really fast, and I'll let you know when we move on to the next day!)
Truador:
Getting ready to rest for the night, you say your goodbyes and settle in, in Nyral's room. You're able to fall asleep quickly. Your dreams are filled with mundane happenings, nothing particularly of note. When you wake up in the morning, you've forgotten what your dream was about.
(I'll finish this thing with Nyral really fast, and I'll let you know when we move on to the next day!)
(God that's a lot of spoilers. We'll continue with the next day, once I finish this last thing with Nyral. Just sit tight for a little!)
Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin's From Dusk to Dawn
Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
I'M BACK
PFP credit goes to Mo Willems
Nyral's Secrets (spoilers)
Nyral nods in agreement. He has a lot to share after all. Waiting for Marvin to leave the drow offers his hand out for her to take. He has a sly grin as he waits for her to take his offered hand. Once she does he says "Hold on then." Normally he needs his hands for the somatic components to cast his spells but being one armed he often doesn't have that luxury. As such he spent a lot of time learning how to cast spells without the need for movement. He learned he could even cast spells without the need for words. All he needed was to wear his focus. A gift given to him by his mentor and person he respects the most. It glows a bit as he focuses on his magic and picturing the secret room that only a few know about Nyral uses the spell dimension door to shift both him and Alisa into the location. Any spies or onlookers would have no idea where they went as nothing was said and to an outside force it would look like they just vanished. He chose to cast it because he noticed they were alone and a bit of magic can always impress. A sudden feeling on being pulled in the direction he wanted as the pair are teleported into a new location.
Spell Cast:: Dimension Door - 1 Sorcery point used for subtle spell.
Looking around the large hidden room Nyral remembers the time he and his family had to hide here after a botched job. Luckily the sisters were in the know and part of an organization called the Painted Begonias. They kindly hid him and his family from authorities for about a month. Bringing them food and other such things until it was safe to leave. He came to know the sisters over this time and found the Alisa very charming. The wide room with a pair of beds was extra large for smuggling or hiding items if needed and blankets and such could be brought down if the pair of beds was not enough. Two entrances are in this room. One a set of stairs that leads to a hidden entrance and another a long tunnel that makes for a good escape when one is in a bind. Room 13 was the place to be if the authorities were on your heals and you needed a place to be safe.
He lets go of her hand once they teleported and takes a seat on one of the beds. the oddly large and empty room almost a welcoming sight to the drow. He looks back to Alisa with a sly smile and says "I wanted to show you this trick last time we met. I wish it was under friendlier circumstances though." He then shifts into a more business like demeanor as he continues with "The white dragonborn, Truador, is staying with me so I shouldn't take too long. I think he can be trusted and I kind of like him. Not sure about all the others yet. The lead detective, Inquisitive, is way too keen. I have to be extremely careful what I say and do around him. Anyway..."Nyral begins to inform Alisa about the curse marked pillows and the three victims. Giving her everything he knows about how the curse might work, symptoms, and where it was located.
"So, that's what I know about the method of attack. To me it seems way too much a coincidence not to be connected to the way people are being killed. I wanted to make sure you and Maggie know so you can take steps to protect yourself. We don't know how the spell is being cast or how they are getting the mark on the pillows but definitely something to worry about. If you know anyone or can find out if anyone is showing signs of that then let me know. Perhaps we can catch the culprit in the act and save someone if we are quick enough. I also wanted to ask, is there some criminal operation that Thaymoor or their wife Tare was involved in? I'd like to eliminate the idea this is some kind of retaliation from our side of the legal spectrum. I didn't find any connections from Thaymoor's place."
Having primarily shared the information to her so they could protect themselves he awaits answers as well as any information she feels they need to share.
((Rolled a 6 on d6))
((I'll try to be quick on replies today hopefully get through this quick for everyone. No peeking if you like Nyral being a mystery))
Nyral:
It doesn't take long for Marvin to slump over, asleep, at the bar. Whatever you do won't be noticed by him.
Alisa takes your hand as you offer it, raising an eyebrow at the strange gesture. Once you both arrive, she takes a few small steps back. "Well. That's new." Brushing her skirt off instinctually, she regains her grounded composure; but you notice a small smile escape her lips. "Right. You had something important to tell me?"
She stays standing as you tell her everything you know. Attentive, she looks at you right in the eyes, and you see her jaw clenching a little when you mention Thaymoor and Tare. She's silent for a good minute after you finish, taking everything in. "Thaymoor is just a farmer. Tare is too much of a law-abiding citizen to be a part of any criminal organization. I've never seen her at any of the Painted Begonias meetings, and I haven't heard anything from.... Elibyn." Trailing off, she takes a deep breath in. "Maggie and I haven't had any nightmares recently. Everything's been working well for us. Thanks for showing concern." Her face softens a little, shaking her hands loosely. "I'll let you know if I experience anything else." She walks to the wall directly in front of you, pulling on a short rope hanging overhead. A trapdoor opens on the ceiling, and a rope ladder falls from the new cavity. You recognize this as a direct passage to the main floor---two floors up---where the barroom sits. "I have to go, make sure Marvin hasn't fallen off his stool. Thanks for letting me know. About this. Should I have breakfast ready for you and your friends, when you wake up?" After receiving an answer, she gives you a small wave and begins climbing up the ladder. Halfway up, she stops. "Be careful. We've lost too many, too soon. I don't want to lose another." After an appropriately solemn pause, she disappears up into the trapdoor, pulling it close behind her.
Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin's From Dusk to Dawn
Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
I'M BACK
PFP credit goes to Mo Willems
Nyral Spoilers
Nyral seems relieved hearing that there isn't any connection to Theymoor. Having warned the sisters as well as finding no connection he was feeling good the few people he knew in this area are or would be informed what to look out for. "Yes, of course." He nods to her request to get back to the counter. Respecting the signal their conversation is at an end. He follows up with switching to the more neutral conversation she offered "I would love some breakfast if its not too much trouble, a few plates of something fruity perhaps? I do very much enjoy the waffles here. Top those with berries and cream and that'd be perfect." He begins to follow to leave the secret room as well when she stops and shows concern. Nyral knows better then to give bravado. He didn't live as long as he did being overconfident. So he says "I'll be extra careful. You stay safe too." With that she leaves his company and he makes his way back to his room. Feeling confident she will bring him news of anyone showing the deadly symptoms. He arrives back in his room and tries to be very quiet not to wake Truador. Snoring or not Nyral would only teleport him if he seems to wake otherwise he makes his way to his extra large bed. He does a quick scan of his pillow with his detect magic spell and once satisfied it's safe goes to sleep for the evening.
Nyral:
After making sure there is nothing on your pillow, you retire for the night after a long day of funerals and investigative work. Exhausted, you're able to fall asleep easily.
Your dream consists of vague, shattered visions of completely mundane events. A group of black-clad people, running towards the bright lights of a circus; Marvin, asleep and hunched over the bar of the Lazy Peacock; a firbolg couple with their small child walking side-by-side along Esperal's Main Street. You dip in and out of these fragmented dreams, and the whole night feels much like a trip down the lazy river. You wake up comfortably early in the morning, and feel well-rested.
Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin's From Dusk to Dawn
Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
I'M BACK
PFP credit goes to Mo Willems
-Dawn of the Second Day-
You all wake up relatively early, excited for another day of sleuthing and investigating. The birds are singing, perched on trees outside the inn. The weather is nice and warm, mostly clear skies extending towards infinity beyond your windows. The day seems perfect in every way; that is, if you weren't investigating the recent tragedies that have befallen the town of Esperal.
You all decide to meet in Nyral's room, and one by one you get ready for the day and gather there. Alisa and Maggie bring up a large breakfast of waffles up to the room, enough for all of you to get a decent meal.
(Alrighty! Day 2, here we go. I'm excited to see what you guys are able to uncover today!
Feel free to describe when and how you wake up, how you get ready, anything else you might think of, etc. Or, as always, don't! Up to you.)
Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin's From Dusk to Dawn
Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
I'M BACK
PFP credit goes to Mo Willems
Nyral wakes up fairy early. Never needing a lot of sleep every night they find they are awake before the white dragonborn. The drow smiles and decides to see how many pillows it takes to wake up a dragonborn. They use mage hand to move various pillows around the room. The floating spectral clockwork hand expertly picking up pillows around the room as Nyral begins to stack them all on top of Truador. Pillow after pillow he continues to stack them. He seems to lose interest after a bit though. It causes them to pause then they just chuck a pillow at Truador's face to wake him up. Perhaps a bit harder then they meant to.
"Up and at them Truador." The drow moves to prepare the area for breakfast being delivered. Having placed the order they hope it comes soon. "I ordered some breakfast. Hope you slept well. No idea when the rest will show up."
Amy, having gone to bed earlier than her normal late nights, rises with the sun. She gets ready quickly and decides that she has enough time to read through another chapter of the book she had nabbed the night before. She grabs a piece of toast as her breakfast and heads over to Nyral's.
Truador immediately wakes up when the pillow hits his face. Seems how his mouth was slightly open, it gets caught on his teeth when he pulls it off. Spitting out some feathers, he moves into a sitting position, causing the stack of pillows topples over and scatters on the floor. He looks at the drow, "Did I really snore that loud? I thought you said you would teleport me into the closet, not make a pillow castle on top of me." He smiles, "You sure are up early, I usually sleep for another hour." He is used to staying awake far into the night. Though he never thought he got up late, in fact he usually gets up fairly early.
"I slept well indeed, this couch is far softer than what I'm used to sleeping on. Thank you again for letting me stay here." He starts picking up the pillows and tossing them back wherever they go. As he bends down, a pendant falls out of his shirt, dangling from a chain around his neck. After putting the last pillow away, he tucks the pendant back into his shirt. "Breakfast sounds wonderful," He flashes his wolfish grin. "The others have better hurry though. Or else it might all be gone before they get here."
Inquisitive waked up early. He always did during a case, eager to continue the investigation. He washed up quickly and dressed before bringing his gear and collected evidence as he walked across the hall to Nyral's suite. "Good morning, hope you all slept well." He said to Nyral, Truador and Amy, taking a cup of coffee and drinking it by the window while waiting for Marvin and Zanibi to join them. That civil war, it seemed important. They still needed to find the motive, and he was certain it was to be found in the victim's past.
Nyral smiles. "No, no that loud. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. Sorry if it startled you. I guess I was feeling mischievous. Unusual for me these days." The drow seems fixated on clearing the mess of a table for the breakfast. Only using his one arm despite having seen him use his mage hand before. "You're welcome to stay the next few night while we work on this too. I still reserve the right to teleport you though."
Nyral seems to notice the necklace as he picks up with Truador. After the dragonborn puts it away he says "Yeah, I requested.." a knock at the door as the pair are brought food for the morning by Alisa and Maggie. He greets them and has them setup the breakfast spread of waffles, fruit and whip cream on the table. Some syrups on the side as well as plates. Once they leave Nyral looks back to Truador and says "Hungry?" then he will sit down and eat while waiting for others. If Truador joins him he eventually asks "That's a nice necklace. Any story with it?"
Answer or not he eats until Inquisitive and Amy arrives and greets them for the morning. "Ah, good morning. Yes I slept well."
"Oh no," Truador laughs, "I don't startle that easily." He doesn't comment on the fact that Nyral isn't using mage hand. "I would appreciate it. I don't exactly have much in the way of money, so finding a room can be hard at times."
Truador sits down at the table with Nyral. When his necklace is mentioned, a sadness fills his eyes. He pulls it out of his shirt so Nyral can see it better. It is a simple iron pendant in the shape of a wolf's head, with red stones for eyes. After a moment, he puts it away again, "This was given to me by my parents. They gave it to me so I could understand--" His sentence is cut off as Amy and Inquisitive enter the room. "Good morning to you as well," He replies to Inquisitive.
Zanibi was up fairly late, reading through Elibyn's notes and letters. Even so she's up not too long after the sun. Quickly she prepares and hurries down to Nyral's room. It seems most of the others are there already, save Martin. "Good morning! Good morning!" she says cheerily. "Oh! Waffles! Fruit! Whip cream!" She hurries over and grabs a plate, placing one waffle then fruit and whip cream on top. She places another waffle on top of that, also putting fruit and whip cream on top of it. She continues until she has five waffles stacked up. "Perfect! That's a good start!" She finds a place to sit and digs in to the food.
She speaks quickly between bites. "Still going with our plan for today? I'm off with Nyral and Truador to Calda's house? I hope you two can deal with interviewing the others. I'll check out the place. Any new developments over the night? Everyone sleep well? Ready to hit the road running so to speak?" Somehow, despite all of her chatter, the waffles are soon gone.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
"Slept well thank you Zanibi." Inquisitive said, turning from the window to face the others. "Just waiting for Marvin now. Thanks for providing us with this excellent breakfast Nyral." He said with a nod, taking a waffle of his own although not nearly as excitedly as Zanibi. "I suppose you could go ahead when you've finished breakfast. Me and Amy will wait a bit longer for Marvin before we head out I think." He said, taking a bite of his waffle. "Ready to head out soon Amy?" He said, walking over to the pink-haired woman.
Marvin begins to stir and comes to face down at the bar. Still sitting in his stool with a full tankard in front of him. He managed not to spill it while passed out. After fully- or mostly coming to and looking around, he looks around the tavern and speaks up once he spots Alisa "Oh shoot. I'm sorry Alisa, I did mean to leave last night" he rubs the back of his head as he stretches his back and neck "I'm not sure what happened though. What are you doing here so early? You've slept right?" Marvin then gets up, looking a little more alert "Shoot. Did I miss them Alisa? Have they taken off and left me here?"
He leaves the bar, leaving his tankard where it stands and heads upstairs to the room the drow was in last night. While walking, he checks over his body for any physical marks from his dream. Additionally, assuming its listening, he gives a mental threat to whatever it was he saw in his sleep. You think you're so tough attacking me in my sleep. Come out while I'm awake and try that. See what happens!
The dragonborn was interrupted mid sentence by the arrival of the others. Nyral nods to him that they can pick up the conversation later. The drow nods to Amy, Inquisitive and Zanibi as they enter and hands them both a plate to enjoy the meal Nyral got for them all. As they compliment the meal and thank him, he replies "I was happy to provide something delicious. I have to say these waffles are the best things I've eaten. Crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I don't even know how they did it but I definitely want the recipe." The waffles quickly vanish from the large serving tray the largest portion went into the smallest of the group. He looks at Zanibi with a bit of wonder as they tried to puzzle out where they were fitting five of these waffles complete with an entire fruit salad on top of them. "Someone has a voracious apatite." he chuckles.
As talk turns to business Nyral nods, "I am ready to head out. I was curious if either of you managed to find anything interesting in the various journals or notes we gathered. Other then that, I'm good to go. How about you Truador?" looking to the big dragonborn he tries to gauge how ready the first group is. The drow isn't at all surprised that man didn't show during the breakfast meeting and adds "You two are welcome to wait here for Marvin. I did see him passed out at the bar last night though so I suspect he will be sleeping in trying to fight off a terrible hangover."
"Oh, well, let's hope he's still able to guide us around town." Inquisitive said with a tired sigh, finishing his third cup of coffee. "I read through the journal we took from Elibyn's house last night. It seems her family came here just under 20 years ago as refugees of the civil war of Jovin. Anyone happen to know a lot about that war, particularly any incidents and atrocities that would have taken place at the end of it, or perhaps even after it but connected to the war? I think we already know Elibyn's parents were killed after being hunted down. I'm not sure but I believe this could be important. We should check if the others have a connections to Jovin or that civil war in any way."
"Jorvin civil war huh? I'll keep an out out for things like that. Twenty years isn't that long ago. Civil wars cause a lot of hate, that's for sure. Who won would be first question and someone could definitely be holding a grudge pending which side they were on. Assuming this is how the victims are connected of course. What do we know about that civil war?" Nyral tries to think on anything he knows of that event.
Check History: 3
Amy pops a strawberry into her mouth and tries to think of any knowledge of the civil war.
History: 11
She also turns to Inquisitive. "I'm ready as soon as Marvin arrives, by the way."
"I'm ready," Truador replies as he finishes his own heaping plate of food. Listens to Inquisitive and Nyral talk about the war. He agrees that wars, especially civil wars can cause a lot of hate. Hate that can last through generations. He tries to remember anything he can about the Jorvin Civil war. What houses were involved? Who won? How was the war won? Who was hurt them most and who benefited the most from the conflict?
History: 19