After the death of Basil Darkbranch Sir Nikolas Stoneclaw had become suspicious of both his fellow council members and strangers that would show up in Cloudgate, so when several citizens had noticed a small group of more or less strangers enter Stoneclaw's mansion they couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Upon hearing from one of the guards stationed at the entrance that the strangers had been invited to a 'welcome dinner' the citizens couldn't help but wonder if they leader was planning something.
"I must sincerelyapologize for calling you all here on such short notice, things have been rather chaotic as of late and I doubt that it'll be calming down any time soon. That being said I hope you didn't run into to much trouble on the way here, although given the state of things as they are... it honestly wouldn't surprise me if you did run into trouble." Sir Stoneclaw sighed softly as he placed the final glass down on the table before looking up towards his guests for a moment. He takes a deep breath and forces a small smile to his lips before walking over to an empty seat and pulling it out. "If any of your items where stolen or lost on the trip here... I apologize, and if you'd like I could help replace the item or items in question." With that he took a seat and motioned for the others to do the same. After a couple seconds two servants entered the room, one had freshly baked rolls while the other was carrying a tray with bowls of soup with noodles and a few types of vegetables in it. The two left the room for a few minutes before returning both carrying trays with plates mostly with various cooked meats although a few had what looked to be a salad of sorts. As the food was placed on the table two wine bottles seemed to levitate over to the table , one landing in the center while the other went around in a clockwise manner and began to fill up the glasses.
"I do hope that the food is to all your likings. It has been a while since I've hosted a dinner such as this." Nikolas said with a soft chuckle before shifting in his seat ever so slightly.
A small fairy moves to sit on one of the chairs, pulling an extra cushion over so he can properly see over the table. Nodding to their gracious host and sipping on the rich purple wine, he wears simple traveler’s clothes in soft blue and gray colors. His light beige wings set off the ensemble, but his shock of deep purple hair provides a pop of color that actually matches the wine fairly well.
Though he wears no armor, he has a few weapons on him sized for his small stature—a shortbow and a rapier—and a small pack. The fairy smiles as he savors the wine and food, though in small quantities, and he looks up at the others, saying in a light tenor voice, “Hi, my name’s Flutter. Who are you?”
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Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
((Subtle Spell guidance to add 4 to Insight 11 to try to figure out what his intensions are toward them and why he's nervous))
Ana took a seat at random, letting her enchanted staff lean on her shoulder, and silently studied their host. Her time with the druids gave her an appreciation for silence and she was content to let the others do the talking. This time, anyway. He was acting strangely, she thought. She took in all the signs, his body language, the tone of his voice, to try to gain some insight into why. She even called on a bit of her magic to help guide her to the answer, in that special way which only she seemed able to do. He was known to be suspicious of strangers, as all of them were, yet he called them here. He could have met them at his office, she was sure he had one, but he had chosen to treat them to dinner instead?
She glanced at the food in front of her, made no move to try any. She'd had her goodberry this morning and wasn't hungry. Another reason to be grateful to the druids.
Toward the end of the table, you see a human sitting in one of the chairs with salt and pepper hair, a beard and moustache, staring at Nikolas with a stern, focused look on his face. He's wearing a dark cloak that looks like it has deep pockets. As the conversation moves along, he takes out a quill and from time to time takes notes. He is most interested when the wine bottles levitate around the table, filling glasses. When they take the circuit around the table, you see him lean in close to peer at the labels, checking each one. At the best brand of wine, you see him lift his eyebrows, and after the last glass is filled, a look of a furrowed brow toward the bottle moving away, and all of a sudden, the wine bottle stops, reverses course and swings back to the table, invisibly setting itself down on the table near his glass. There is a self-satisfied look that crosses his face.
Ludolph says to everyone gathered, "Greetings. Ludolf Solidorb, pleasure to meet you. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this." He turns to the host and says "Sir Nikolas, my maester Ulitree sent me here. Do you have anything to tell us about why you invited us here, any thoughts about what has been happening?"
He has his notebook out to the side, after he has taken some notes, he picks it up to put in into one of his pockets in his cloak, if you are watching him directly, you see him give it a quick, subtle sniff that he tries to hide.
After bowing the 7ft 9inch muscular Goliath Eglar looks for the sturdiest seat to sit. In an rumbling deep voice
"My name is Eglar Stonehewn, I do not know of many that would steal from me. But if you have a spare set of wood carvers tools I can buy. For my hobby."
He looks at the food but doesn't eat till the royalty eats scratching his Black beard while parts of the mosaic patterns on his head reflect the light. Runes cover his scale mail armor
A Duergar sits with an elbow on the table and his hand beneath his chin.
He looks well dressed, if still a bit of ruffian for being armed and armored even at a social gathering. Such is the way of many dwarves, and the Duergar maintain that air of constant suspicion of others.
"Karrigg Blindhandle. And I know why I am here, although I am waiting to know why I am here."
A small fairy moves to sit on one of the chairs, pulling an extra cushion over so he can properly see over the table. Nodding to their gracious host and sipping on the rich purple wine, he wears simple traveler’s clothes in soft blue and gray colors. His light beige wings set off the ensemble, but his shock of deep purple hair provides a pop of color that actually matches the wine fairly well.
Though he wears no armor, he has a few weapons on him sized for his small stature—a shortbow and a rapier—and a small pack. The fairy smiles as he savors the wine and food, though in small quantities, and he looks up at the others, saying in a light tenor voice, “Hi, my name’s Flutter. Who are you?”
Sir Stoneclaw picked up his glass and took a sip as he began to examine the others sitting at the table. When he saw that Flutter had to use an extra cushion over to see over the table, he mumbled something under his breath in Draconic before giving him an apologetic look. After a couple seconds he placed his free hand on the table and began to gently drum his fingers against it. 'Damnit... I knew I'd forget something.' He thought as he shifted a little bit more.
"It is quite a pleasure to met you Flutter. I'm Sir Nikolas Stoneclaw, although you probably already figured that out."
Toward the end of the table, you see a human sitting in one of the chairs with salt and pepper hair, a beard and moustache, staring at Nikolas with a stern, focused look on his face. He's wearing a dark cloak that looks like it has deep pockets. As the conversation moves along, he takes out a quill and from time to time takes notes. He is most interested when the wine bottles levitate around the table, filling glasses. When they take the circuit around the table, you see him lean in close to peer at the labels, checking each one. At the best brand of wine, you see him lift his eyebrows, and after the last glass is filled, a look of a furrowed brow toward the bottle moving away, and all of a sudden, the wine bottle stops, reverses course and swings back to the table, invisibly setting itself down on the table near his glass. There is a self-satisfied look that crosses his face.
Ludolph says to everyone gathered, "Greetings. Ludolf Solidorb, pleasure to meet you. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this." He turns to the host and says "Sir Nikolas, my maester Ulitree sent me here. Do you have anything to tell us about why you invited us here, any thoughts about what has been happening?"
He has his notebook out to the side, after he has taken some notes, he picks it up to put in into one of his pockets in his cloak, if you are watching him directly, you see him give it a quick, subtle sniff that he tries to hide.
A soft hum seemed to escape Nikolas when he noticed that one of the bottles had reversed it's course. He watched it curiously and when he saw that it set itself down near the man sitting near the end of the table. He fights back a chuckle when he notices the look on his face and takes another sip from his glass.
"Right it would be quiet beneficial, and I believe that all of you have the potential to be the ones to get to the bottom of it." He stated before carefully putting his glass down on the table. He took a breath and nodded slightly in response to what Ludolf had said. "I was indeed aware of that. Why did I invite you all here, I'm guessing that you'll want the truth of the matter. Although the most pressing matter would be to figure out who was behind the killing of Lord Darkbranch there is another reason as well, my son has... well he has gone missing." He glanced around the table for a moment before glancing towards his glass with a small frown. "I fear that any remaining semblances of peace that we've had with our reluctant allies could shatter at any moment and we could be plunged into war over the most minor thing. If there was a way to salvage the 'relationships' that Basil had forged then perhaps things could... no I doubt that would change anything."
((Subtle Spell guidance to add 2 to Insight 17 to try to figure out what his intensions are toward them and why he's nervous))
Ana took a seat at random, letting her enchanted staff lean on her shoulder, and silently studied their host. Her time with the druids gave her an appreciation for silence and she was content to let the others do the talking. This time, anyway. He was acting strangely, she thought. She took in all the signs, his body language, the tone of his voice, to try to gain some insight into why. She even called on a bit of her magic to help guide her to the answer, in that special way which only she seemed able to do. He was known to be suspicious of strangers, as all of them were, yet he called them here. He could have met them at his office, she was sure he had one, but he had chosen to treat them to dinner instead?
She glanced at the food in front of her, made no move to try any. She'd had her goodberry this morning and wasn't hungry. Another reason to be grateful to the druids.
He leaned forwards slightly as he tried thought about what he had said and shook his head slightly before attempting to eat a little. He paused slightly when he thought he could sense someone examining him but shook it off and began to eat. After a minute the feeling didn't go away and he stopped and began to look around with a raised brow. When his gaze fell upon Ana he noticed that she seemed to be studying him, even though he was a little unnerved by it he didn't say anything regarding it and hesitantly smiled at her. "I know it's a little odd that I choose to do this over dinner but it wasn't my first choice but I misplaced the key to my office and the study is a bit of a mess at the present."
{With a 19 you can figure out that he doesn't seem to be great when it comes to speaking with large groups and although he has no ill-will towards the them he seems to be unsure if he can fully trust them just yet. Even though he's done a decent job trying to hide it there is a hint of fear that seems to be dwelling in his mind, almost as if someone had threatened somebody that he cares about life or perhaps someone had threatened his life rather recently.}
After bowing the 7ft 9inch muscular Goliath Eglar looks for the sturdiest seat to sit. In an rumbling deep voice
"My name is Eglar Stonehewn, I do not know of many that would steal from me. But if you have a spare set of wood carvers tools I can buy. For my hobby."
He looks at the food but doesn't eat till the royalty eats scratching his Black beard while parts of the mosaic patterns on his head reflect the light. Runes cover his scale mail armor
Nikolas tilts his head slightly when he hears the mention of wood carvers tools but nods ever so slightly. He glanced at the runes covering his armor for a moment and a very faint hum escaped him. "I doubt that anyone would want to try stealing from you. I think I might have a set or two although I'd need to go dig them out for you. I had hide them when Xavword was a boy so he wouldn't unintentionally hurt himself on them."
A Duergar sits with an elbow on the table and his hand beneath his chin.
He looks well dressed, if still a bit of ruffian for being armed and armored even at a social gathering. Such is the way of many dwarves, and the Duergar maintain that air of constant suspicion of others.
"Karrigg Blindhandle. And I know why I am here, although I am waiting to know why I am here."
Upon hearing Karrigg's name Nikolas froze up a little. He had a feeling he knew why he was there but he hadn't put two and two together until he'd heard his name and everything sort of clicked in his head.
"Straight to the point... as should be expected I guess. Would it be wrong to assume that you're here to seek revenge against the person who turned your cousin into a widow... or could it be that you've been sent to investigate me?"
Straight to the point himself Eglars voice deepens irritated with the sound of accusations "I do not know this person nor you. But, you, summoned us here. I thank you for the offer of a meal. But what do you need?"
"I do not find these tasks mutually exclusive. And I doubt my cousin will find a lack of action on your part to be any different than if you had killed him yourself. Your missing son is of note, however."
A soft hum seemed to escape Nikolas when he noticed that one of the bottles had reversed it's course. He watched it curiously and when he saw that it set itself down near the man sitting near the end of the table. He fights back a chuckle when he notices the look on his face and takes another sip from his glass.
"Right it would be quiet beneficial, and I believe that all of you have the potential to be the ones to get to the bottom of it." He stated before carefully putting his glass down on the table. He took a breath and nodded slightly in response to what Ludolf had said. "I was indeed aware of that. Why did I invite you all here, I'm guessing that you'll want the truth of the matter. Although the most pressing matter would be to figure out who was behind the killing of Lord Darkbranch there is another reason as well, my son has... well he has gone missing." He glanced around the table for a moment before glancing towards his glass with a small frown. "I fear that any remaining semblances of peace that we've had with our reluctant allies could shatter at any moment and we could be plunged into war over the most minor thing. If there was a way to salvage the 'relationships' that Basil had forged then perhaps things could... no I doubt that would change anything."
“Of course I would like to hear about any clues that you have or leads regarding the death of Lord Darkbranch. That is the reason that I gathered that we were brought here and any help you can give us would be appreciated. I did not know, however, that your son was missing. Can you tell us more about him, where he was seen last, and what may have happened? And also, if I may, which … “relationships” … that Lord Darkbranch formed do you feel are at risk of dissolving? And why is that?”
After asking his questions, Ludolf dives into the tenderloin on his plate and the salad, his mustache working furiously as he chews, and in between bites he looks up at Sir Nikolas, appraising him and his replies to his questions. He refills his wine glass and settles in for a nice dinner and evening of questioning, looking to make connections and discoveries. At important points he pulls out his notebook and jots down names, information. With his special quill, he changes the color of ink as needed to make different headings, and keeps his thoughts organized.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Hearing the others Eglar nods "I must of missed something, searching for your son? And finding clues tothe death of Lord Darkbranch. Both sound honorable."
Nikolas nodded slightly in an understanding manner before placing both hands on the table with a soft sigh. "I know that my lack of action has made me a prime suspect in some minds but I never would have hurt let alone killed him... in a way he was like a brother to me. I also didn't have much choice when it came to the investigation, the day after the murder I received a message from an unknown source that basically told me that if I kept 'sniffing' around that my wife and myself would be the next to die. At first I thought it was just some sick joke but when I tried to continue with the investigation myself I received another threat that went into great detail of how... I don't even want to think about it that's how awful it was."
He took a breath and looked over at Karrigg before speaking again. "Ever since Lord Darkbranch's death Xavword had been slipping out of the city for a few days in an attempt to gather information about what happened. He didn't know about the threats that I had received and just like most thought that I didn't care about what had happened. Every time he'd come back he had at least one book full of his findings but most of the information didn't bring him any closer to finding the culprit although it did seem to clear some of the initial suspects, in his mind. Normally if he was going to be gone longer than a couple days he'd send us a message, not only to tell us that he'd be away a little longer than planned but also to keep us from worrying about him. It's been a week since he left and my wife fears that he has been taken to keep him from revealing the truth of what had happened."
Ludolf-
There was a momentary silence as Sir Stoneclaw thought back to the day of the murder and tried to recall if he had seen anything that could be considered a clue and that's when a small frown began to cross his lips. "Now I don't really have any concrete leads or clues but I do recall seeing the former captain of the guards acting rather suspiciously during the hours leading up to his death. For some reason he kept checking on the entrance to the 'emergency exit tunnels' as Xavword would like to call them, almost as if he was waiting for someone. At first I thought he was just waiting for my son to return but looking back on it he might have been waiting to let the killer into or out of the city... during this time a some of my fellow council members were in the city but the only ones that were here but were unaccounted for were Reves Gahnasath, Keyfina Sylvaranth and Maevleen Arahore. Now I'm not saying that it makes them prime suspects in my mind but it doesn't look good for them... now does it?"When asked to talk about his son he straightened up a little more in his seat. Before speaking however he took a small sip of wine. "Zavword is a kind and rather clever young man, he'd give you the shirt off of his back if he thought that you could use it more than he could. That being said he is also rather adventurous and that has caused him to get in trouble quite a number of times. He's 5' 10", has green eyes, messy short black hair, has the beginnings of a beard starting to grow and he has a couple scars from training with the house guards. I don't exactly know if he made it to his destination but he had planned to go to Wintercall to meet up with an old friend of mine who might have been able to help him with his investigation... although he did mention possibly paying Sandcliff a visit before then. It's is possible that the person behind the murder and possibly behind sending the threats found out about what he was doing and decided to stop him before he got to close to something that could blow this case wide open."
He raises a brow slightly at the next question. Although there were a few that he could think of one stuck out in his mind the most. "Mainly the relationship between Cleica and Espar which would be the one most likely to dissolve if things don't clear up. It doesn't help that there are people blaming Lord and Lady Crestheart even though they weren't even in Cleica around the time of Lord Darkbranch's death. Although there have been rumors that one of the nobility from Espar had been there... If I recall correctly it was a Blue Dragonborn by the name of Yostil Dakaryh."
Eglar-
A very faint hint of a smile began to replace the frown that had once been on his lips. He turned to face Eglar and leaned back a little in his seat. "It's alright, it's not uncommon to accidentally miss something during a conversation. I've sadly done that more times than I'd like to admit. They do, don't they? I've always felt as though actions hold more weight than some silly title and honorable actions are the most respectable in my book."
Ludolph is listening keenly, taking notes at certain points. He writes XAVWORD in his journal, and underlines it. Then he writes Captain of the Guard, Reves Gahnasath, Keyfina Sylvaranth and Maevleen Arahore, and then finally Yostil Dakaryh. Just then, he reaches a slightly toughened piece of meat, you see him wiggle his fingers, and the piece seems to be more of his liking, the flavor improved. He couples it with a long drink of wine. Then more furtive glances around the table.
”Did ah (*ahem*) Xavword (or Zavword?) keep any journals and where might they be? That would be interesting to look through. And perhaps as good of a starting point as anything.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Karrigg nods, having reached an understanding, but will wait on the answer about the journal.
"Your son is clearly a critical piece of this investigation. I would like to see the letters sent to you from your blackmailer, as well. The guard captain seems the next logical step then. It seems foolhardy to question councilors without more information."
Nikolas watched Ludolph as he wrote and tapped the table gently when he saw him wiggle his fingers. It was curious but he shook his head slightly as he glanced down at the food in front of him and a sigh just barely managed to escape him.
"I'd be shocked if Xavword didn't have a journal or three. The most recent one would likely still be on him but I'm pretty sure that he left his older ones in the study. I could have one of my servants retrieve them if you'd like." He replied before glancing towards the door for a moment. "Or I could go fetch them if you would prefer that. I... I'm not really all that hungry at the moment."
When Karrigg mentioned wanting to see the letters that he had received from the blackmailer he froze up a little. Even though he knew where they were there was a small part of him that wanted to lie and say that he didn't know where they were but after a couple seconds he decided that he would share them with the other. "I wish that he wasn't but there's nothing I can do to change it now, I just hope that it hasn't gotten him killed. I have the more recent one on me but if you want the older one as well I can go retrieve it. I don't really like carrying them around with me... for obvious reasons but if you think they might be able to assist you then I'm alright with it."
”Perhaps a fresh set of eyes will reveal a clue to the blackmailer’s identity,” says Flutter hopefully, though in truth he seems quite distracted by the fine beverage and unusual delicacies of the table set before him.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Sir Stoneclaw nodded slightly in response to what Flutter had said before finishing off his wine. With a deep breath he reached into his jacket and rummaged around for a short while before pulling a folded piece of paper from it. There was a moment of hesitation as he glanced down at it before looking at the others in the room. "I apologize for the wait but here it is the latest letter that I had received from them." He placed the letter into Karrigg's hand.
Karrigg
The Letter:
Didn't I warn you about putting your damned nose out of this, you scaled bastard? If I hear word that you're trying investigate Darkbrach's death again then I'll have to pay you a little visit and make an example of you and your wife since my last example didn't seem to leave the desired impression. If you think what happened to Darkbranch or that servant was bad then you'll be in for quite the surprise Nikolas since that seems to be the name you answer to now.
Elglar
{With a 6 Elglar can make out what Sir Stoneclaw said although some of it was difficult to hear at the time. A translation of what can be heard is "Theirnot..." and"...calm down."}
After the death of Basil Darkbranch Sir Nikolas Stoneclaw had become suspicious of both his fellow council members and strangers that would show up in Cloudgate, so when several citizens had noticed a small group of more or less strangers enter Stoneclaw's mansion they couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Upon hearing from one of the guards stationed at the entrance that the strangers had been invited to a 'welcome dinner' the citizens couldn't help but wonder if they leader was planning something.
"I must sincerely apologize for calling you all here on such short notice, things have been rather chaotic as of late and I doubt that it'll be calming down any time soon. That being said I hope you didn't run into to much trouble on the way here, although given the state of things as they are... it honestly wouldn't surprise me if you did run into trouble." Sir Stoneclaw sighed softly as he placed the final glass down on the table before looking up towards his guests for a moment. He takes a deep breath and forces a small smile to his lips before walking over to an empty seat and pulling it out. "If any of your items where stolen or lost on the trip here... I apologize, and if you'd like I could help replace the item or items in question." With that he took a seat and motioned for the others to do the same. After a couple seconds two servants entered the room, one had freshly baked rolls while the other was carrying a tray with bowls of soup with noodles and a few types of vegetables in it. The two left the room for a few minutes before returning both carrying trays with plates mostly with various cooked meats although a few had what looked to be a salad of sorts. As the food was placed on the table two wine bottles seemed to levitate over to the table , one landing in the center while the other went around in a clockwise manner and began to fill up the glasses.
"I do hope that the food is to all your likings. It has been a while since I've hosted a dinner such as this." Nikolas said with a soft chuckle before shifting in his seat ever so slightly.
{Please, introduce and describe your characters}
Flutter:
A small fairy moves to sit on one of the chairs, pulling an extra cushion over so he can properly see over the table. Nodding to their gracious host and sipping on the rich purple wine, he wears simple traveler’s clothes in soft blue and gray colors. His light beige wings set off the ensemble, but his shock of deep purple hair provides a pop of color that actually matches the wine fairly well.
Though he wears no armor, he has a few weapons on him sized for his small stature—a shortbow and a rapier—and a small pack. The fairy smiles as he savors the wine and food, though in small quantities, and he looks up at the others, saying in a light tenor voice, “Hi, my name’s Flutter. Who are you?”
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
((Subtle Spell guidance to add 4 to Insight 11 to try to figure out what his intensions are toward them and why he's nervous))
Ana took a seat at random, letting her enchanted staff lean on her shoulder, and silently studied their host. Her time with the druids gave her an appreciation for silence and she was content to let the others do the talking. This time, anyway. He was acting strangely, she thought. She took in all the signs, his body language, the tone of his voice, to try to gain some insight into why. She even called on a bit of her magic to help guide her to the answer, in that special way which only she seemed able to do. He was known to be suspicious of strangers, as all of them were, yet he called them here. He could have met them at his office, she was sure he had one, but he had chosen to treat them to dinner instead?
She glanced at the food in front of her, made no move to try any. She'd had her goodberry this morning and wasn't hungry. Another reason to be grateful to the druids.
Toward the end of the table, you see a human sitting in one of the chairs with salt and pepper hair, a beard and moustache, staring at Nikolas with a stern, focused look on his face. He's wearing a dark cloak that looks like it has deep pockets. As the conversation moves along, he takes out a quill and from time to time takes notes. He is most interested when the wine bottles levitate around the table, filling glasses. When they take the circuit around the table, you see him lean in close to peer at the labels, checking each one. At the best brand of wine, you see him lift his eyebrows, and after the last glass is filled, a look of a furrowed brow toward the bottle moving away, and all of a sudden, the wine bottle stops, reverses course and swings back to the table, invisibly setting itself down on the table near his glass. There is a self-satisfied look that crosses his face.
Ludolph says to everyone gathered, "Greetings. Ludolf Solidorb, pleasure to meet you. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this." He turns to the host and says "Sir Nikolas, my maester Ulitree sent me here. Do you have anything to tell us about why you invited us here, any thoughts about what has been happening?"
He has his notebook out to the side, after he has taken some notes, he picks it up to put in into one of his pockets in his cloak, if you are watching him directly, you see him give it a quick, subtle sniff that he tries to hide.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
After bowing the 7ft 9inch muscular Goliath Eglar looks for the sturdiest seat to sit. In an rumbling deep voice
"My name is Eglar Stonehewn, I do not know of many that would steal from me. But if you have a spare set of wood carvers tools I can buy. For my hobby."
He looks at the food but doesn't eat till the royalty eats scratching his Black beard while parts of the mosaic patterns on his head reflect the light. Runes cover his scale mail armor
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Reminder for myself. Work together or fail apart. Talk with each other when necessary. Describe how, where, if, your character moved.
The sign on the trail ahead reads "DONT FEED THE DRAGON!" "Working Together" Follow this link please
A Duergar sits with an elbow on the table and his hand beneath his chin.
He looks well dressed, if still a bit of ruffian for being armed and armored even at a social gathering. Such is the way of many dwarves, and the Duergar maintain that air of constant suspicion of others.
"Karrigg Blindhandle. And I know why I am here, although I am waiting to know why I am here."
Paladin - warforged - orange
Sir Stoneclaw picked up his glass and took a sip as he began to examine the others sitting at the table. When he saw that Flutter had to use an extra cushion over to see over the table, he mumbled something under his breath in Draconic before giving him an apologetic look. After a couple seconds he placed his free hand on the table and began to gently drum his fingers against it. 'Damnit... I knew I'd forget something.' He thought as he shifted a little bit more.
"It is quite a pleasure to met you Flutter. I'm Sir Nikolas Stoneclaw, although you probably already figured that out."
A soft hum seemed to escape Nikolas when he noticed that one of the bottles had reversed it's course. He watched it curiously and when he saw that it set itself down near the man sitting near the end of the table. He fights back a chuckle when he notices the look on his face and takes another sip from his glass.
"Right it would be quiet beneficial, and I believe that all of you have the potential to be the ones to get to the bottom of it." He stated before carefully putting his glass down on the table. He took a breath and nodded slightly in response to what Ludolf had said. "I was indeed aware of that. Why did I invite you all here, I'm guessing that you'll want the truth of the matter. Although the most pressing matter would be to figure out who was behind the killing of Lord Darkbranch there is another reason as well, my son has... well he has gone missing." He glanced around the table for a moment before glancing towards his glass with a small frown. "I fear that any remaining semblances of peace that we've had with our reluctant allies could shatter at any moment and we could be plunged into war over the most minor thing. If there was a way to salvage the 'relationships' that Basil had forged then perhaps things could... no I doubt that would change anything."
He leaned forwards slightly as he tried thought about what he had said and shook his head slightly before attempting to eat a little. He paused slightly when he thought he could sense someone examining him but shook it off and began to eat. After a minute the feeling didn't go away and he stopped and began to look around with a raised brow. When his gaze fell upon Ana he noticed that she seemed to be studying him, even though he was a little unnerved by it he didn't say anything regarding it and hesitantly smiled at her. "I know it's a little odd that I choose to do this over dinner but it wasn't my first choice but I misplaced the key to my office and the study is a bit of a mess at the present."
{With a 19 you can figure out that he doesn't seem to be great when it comes to speaking with large groups and although he has no ill-will towards the them he seems to be unsure if he can fully trust them just yet. Even though he's done a decent job trying to hide it there is a hint of fear that seems to be dwelling in his mind, almost as if someone had threatened somebody that he cares about life or perhaps someone had threatened his life rather recently.}
Nikolas tilts his head slightly when he hears the mention of wood carvers tools but nods ever so slightly. He glanced at the runes covering his armor for a moment and a very faint hum escaped him. "I doubt that anyone would want to try stealing from you. I think I might have a set or two although I'd need to go dig them out for you. I had hide them when Xavword was a boy so he wouldn't unintentionally hurt himself on them."
Upon hearing Karrigg's name Nikolas froze up a little. He had a feeling he knew why he was there but he hadn't put two and two together until he'd heard his name and everything sort of clicked in his head.
"Straight to the point... as should be expected I guess. Would it be wrong to assume that you're here to seek revenge against the person who turned your cousin into a widow... or could it be that you've been sent to investigate me?"
Straight to the point himself Eglars voice deepens irritated with the sound of accusations "I do not know this person nor you. But, you, summoned us here. I thank you for the offer of a meal. But what do you need?"
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Reminder for myself. Work together or fail apart. Talk with each other when necessary. Describe how, where, if, your character moved.
The sign on the trail ahead reads "DONT FEED THE DRAGON!" "Working Together" Follow this link please
Karrigg sets his hands evenly on the table.
"I do not find these tasks mutually exclusive. And I doubt my cousin will find a lack of action on your part to be any different than if you had killed him yourself. Your missing son is of note, however."
"Explain the details, please... Sir."
Paladin - warforged - orange
“Of course I would like to hear about any clues that you have or leads regarding the death of Lord Darkbranch. That is the reason that I gathered that we were brought here and any help you can give us would be appreciated. I did not know, however, that your son was missing. Can you tell us more about him, where he was seen last, and what may have happened? And also, if I may, which … “relationships” … that Lord Darkbranch formed do you feel are at risk of dissolving? And why is that?”
After asking his questions, Ludolf dives into the tenderloin on his plate and the salad, his mustache working furiously as he chews, and in between bites he looks up at Sir Nikolas, appraising him and his replies to his questions. He refills his wine glass and settles in for a nice dinner and evening of questioning, looking to make connections and discoveries. At important points he pulls out his notebook and jots down names, information. With his special quill, he changes the color of ink as needed to make different headings, and keeps his thoughts organized.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Hearing the others Eglar nods "I must of missed something, searching for your son? And finding clues to the death of Lord Darkbranch. Both sound honorable."
he eyes the meal but doesn't eat
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Reminder for myself. Work together or fail apart. Talk with each other when necessary. Describe how, where, if, your character moved.
The sign on the trail ahead reads "DONT FEED THE DRAGON!" "Working Together" Follow this link please
Karrigg-
Nikolas nodded slightly in an understanding manner before placing both hands on the table with a soft sigh. "I know that my lack of action has made me a prime suspect in some minds but I never would have hurt let alone killed him... in a way he was like a brother to me. I also didn't have much choice when it came to the investigation, the day after the murder I received a message from an unknown source that basically told me that if I kept 'sniffing' around that my wife and myself would be the next to die. At first I thought it was just some sick joke but when I tried to continue with the investigation myself I received another threat that went into great detail of how... I don't even want to think about it that's how awful it was."
He took a breath and looked over at Karrigg before speaking again. "Ever since Lord Darkbranch's death Xavword had been slipping out of the city for a few days in an attempt to gather information about what happened. He didn't know about the threats that I had received and just like most thought that I didn't care about what had happened. Every time he'd come back he had at least one book full of his findings but most of the information didn't bring him any closer to finding the culprit although it did seem to clear some of the initial suspects, in his mind. Normally if he was going to be gone longer than a couple days he'd send us a message, not only to tell us that he'd be away a little longer than planned but also to keep us from worrying about him. It's been a week since he left and my wife fears that he has been taken to keep him from revealing the truth of what had happened."
Ludolf-
There was a momentary silence as Sir Stoneclaw thought back to the day of the murder and tried to recall if he had seen anything that could be considered a clue and that's when a small frown began to cross his lips. "Now I don't really have any concrete leads or clues but I do recall seeing the former captain of the guards acting rather suspiciously during the hours leading up to his death. For some reason he kept checking on the entrance to the 'emergency exit tunnels' as Xavword would like to call them, almost as if he was waiting for someone. At first I thought he was just waiting for my son to return but looking back on it he might have been waiting to let the killer into or out of the city... during this time a some of my fellow council members were in the city but the only ones that were here but were unaccounted for were Reves Gahnasath, Keyfina Sylvaranth and Maevleen Arahore. Now I'm not saying that it makes them prime suspects in my mind but it doesn't look good for them... now does it?"When asked to talk about his son he straightened up a little more in his seat. Before speaking however he took a small sip of wine. "Zavword is a kind and rather clever young man, he'd give you the shirt off of his back if he thought that you could use it more than he could. That being said he is also rather adventurous and that has caused him to get in trouble quite a number of times. He's 5' 10", has green eyes, messy short black hair, has the beginnings of a beard starting to grow and he has a couple scars from training with the house guards. I don't exactly know if he made it to his destination but he had planned to go to Wintercall to meet up with an old friend of mine who might have been able to help him with his investigation... although he did mention possibly paying Sandcliff a visit before then. It's is possible that the person behind the murder and possibly behind sending the threats found out about what he was doing and decided to stop him before he got to close to something that could blow this case wide open."
He raises a brow slightly at the next question. Although there were a few that he could think of one stuck out in his mind the most. "Mainly the relationship between Cleica and Espar which would be the one most likely to dissolve if things don't clear up. It doesn't help that there are people blaming Lord and Lady Crestheart even though they weren't even in Cleica around the time of Lord Darkbranch's death. Although there have been rumors that one of the nobility from Espar had been there... If I recall correctly it was a Blue Dragonborn by the name of Yostil Dakaryh."
Eglar-
A very faint hint of a smile began to replace the frown that had once been on his lips. He turned to face Eglar and leaned back a little in his seat. "It's alright, it's not uncommon to accidentally miss something during a conversation. I've sadly done that more times than I'd like to admit. They do, don't they? I've always felt as though actions hold more weight than some silly title and honorable actions are the most respectable in my book."
Ludolph is listening keenly, taking notes at certain points. He writes XAVWORD in his journal, and underlines it. Then he writes Captain of the Guard, Reves Gahnasath, Keyfina Sylvaranth and Maevleen Arahore, and then finally Yostil Dakaryh. Just then, he reaches a slightly toughened piece of meat, you see him wiggle his fingers, and the piece seems to be more of his liking, the flavor improved. He couples it with a long drink of wine. Then more furtive glances around the table.
”Did ah (*ahem*) Xavword (or Zavword?) keep any journals and where might they be? That would be interesting to look through. And perhaps as good of a starting point as anything.”
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Karrigg nods, having reached an understanding, but will wait on the answer about the journal.
"Your son is clearly a critical piece of this investigation. I would like to see the letters sent to you from your blackmailer, as well. The guard captain seems the next logical step then. It seems foolhardy to question councilors without more information."
Paladin - warforged - orange
Nikolas watched Ludolph as he wrote and tapped the table gently when he saw him wiggle his fingers. It was curious but he shook his head slightly as he glanced down at the food in front of him and a sigh just barely managed to escape him.
"I'd be shocked if Xavword didn't have a journal or three. The most recent one would likely still be on him but I'm pretty sure that he left his older ones in the study. I could have one of my servants retrieve them if you'd like." He replied before glancing towards the door for a moment. "Or I could go fetch them if you would prefer that. I... I'm not really all that hungry at the moment."
When Karrigg mentioned wanting to see the letters that he had received from the blackmailer he froze up a little. Even though he knew where they were there was a small part of him that wanted to lie and say that he didn't know where they were but after a couple seconds he decided that he would share them with the other. "I wish that he wasn't but there's nothing I can do to change it now, I just hope that it hasn't gotten him killed. I have the more recent one on me but if you want the older one as well I can go retrieve it. I don't really like carrying them around with me... for obvious reasons but if you think they might be able to assist you then I'm alright with it."
Flutter:
”Perhaps a fresh set of eyes will reveal a clue to the blackmailer’s identity,” says Flutter hopefully, though in truth he seems quite distracted by the fine beverage and unusual delicacies of the table set before him.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Karrigg nods, and holds out a hand for the letter.
Paladin - warforged - orange
Elglar sits back taking mental notes
21 Perception on what Sir Stoneclaw said in Draconic.
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Reminder for myself. Work together or fail apart. Talk with each other when necessary. Describe how, where, if, your character moved.
The sign on the trail ahead reads "DONT FEED THE DRAGON!" "Working Together" Follow this link please
Sir Stoneclaw nodded slightly in response to what Flutter had said before finishing off his wine. With a deep breath he reached into his jacket and rummaged around for a short while before pulling a folded piece of paper from it. There was a moment of hesitation as he glanced down at it before looking at the others in the room. "I apologize for the wait but here it is the latest letter that I had received from them." He placed the letter into Karrigg's hand.
Karrigg
The Letter:
Didn't I warn you about putting your damned nose out of this, you scaled bastard? If I hear word that you're trying investigate Darkbrach's death again then I'll have to pay you a little visit and make an example of you and your wife since my last example didn't seem to leave the desired impression. If you think what happened to Darkbranch or that servant was bad then you'll be in for quite the surprise Nikolas since that seems to be the name you answer to now.
Elglar
{With a 6 Elglar can make out what Sir Stoneclaw said although some of it was difficult to hear at the time. A translation of what can be heard is "Their not..." and "...calm down."}
Eglar asks in draconic "Whom was this Old Friend of yours he said he was going to meet?"
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Reminder for myself. Work together or fail apart. Talk with each other when necessary. Describe how, where, if, your character moved.
The sign on the trail ahead reads "DONT FEED THE DRAGON!" "Working Together" Follow this link please