Olgha’s eyes narrow, the unnatural stillness prickling beneath her skin. The horses’ terror is contagious; she feels it coil in her stomach, mingling with the hunger that always simmers just below the surface. She leans forward, casting a quick, wordless glance at her companions...a silent warning to be ready. She draws her hood a little lower over her copper hair, her voice smooth and low, carefully neutral. “You’re mistaken,” she says, studying the figure’s posture, his hands, the cut of his coat...searching for weapons, for tells, for any sign of what he truly is. “There’s no one named Grabador here. Why are you looking for him?”
Insight = 7
She positions herself subtly so that Garil is behind her, one hand near her belt, ready to draw a blade at a moment’s notice. Her other hand rests lightly on the wagon’s frame, ready to leap or run if the need arises. Her gaze doesn’t leave the stranger’s hidden face, but she’s listening, every muscle taut. If he comes closer, she’ll be ready.
Vannithos narrows his eyes, remaining seated and motionless. He studies the man--or the thing that wears a man’s shape. The way the mouth moves just a little too late, the voice crawling through the mind like frost. Every instinct sharpened by years in the Shadowfell whispers 'wrong'.
"Hmm, I see. You must be some other recruits then. Grabador was supposed to meet me here for a job, but... perhaps he died trying to get here." His eyes seem to light up into flames for a brief instant, before returning to normal. "No matter. Maybe you would be willing to take his place? You're already on the right path." He gives you a grin, revealing a pair of fangs in his mouth, before chuckling in a way that sounds painful for him.
Noticing the flame in his eyes drew Engelheart's attention. "So since we are on the path as the 'man' says, we might as well hear him out about this job Grabador is going to miss out on. What shall we call you?" Engelheart was intrigued by this creature, he was sure they would be eventually be removing it's existence in due time, but perhaps it could lead them to the larger hive to burn out. For Garil's sake, Engelheart was hoping this isn't Lohse that he was going to try and find.
"You may call me Skeer, though I don't suppose we'll be seeing much of each other after this." As he says this, his eyes begin to swirl in a variety of colors, none of them very natural for an eye.
Vadania would look away, not wanting to look at the swirl of colors. She does however wish to play along with taking a job from him because she feels pretending to be working with this... creature... could yield some clues.
Still looking away, she speaks, "I am interested. What is the job you would like us to do?"
"In Zorre, there is a lounge called the Ivory Unicorn. Ask the woman outside if they serve any fish. She will take you to meet the man who runs the lounge, and you are to kill him. The woman will pay you after the job is done." The man then turns back to the woods, and begins to walk away.
Olgha’s jaw tenses at the casual way Skeer delivers the assignment, as if arranging a carriage ride rather than a killing. After a beat, she speaks, her tone even and unhurried, careful not to betray the flicker of unease running beneath her skin.“That’s a lot of trust to place in strangers. Why him? What did the man at the Ivory Unicorn do to earn a death sentence?”
She doesn’t move her hand from the wagon rail, but her body shifts just enough to shield Garil from view. Her other hand hovers near a hidden dagger, just in case the job comes with strings...or fangs. Her eyes never leave Skeer’s face, watching for any sign of deception or amusement at their expense. “You want us to kill for you. I want a reason. We are not assassins, where are hunters.”
Vannithos is also curious as to why this lounge owner is being targeted. He listens as his eyes scan the trees in the direction Skeer seems to be heading, looking for any other figures lurking about.
Vadania was ready to move on. She felt this place was dangerous to stay in and they could get answers from the lounge owner himself. She had no real intention of fulfilling the request but was willing to move on and play along until they could go and talk to their "Target".
However she tensed up when Olgha asked the question. She started at Skeer, waiting for some sign of hostility or or agitation or anything.
“Aye, I think I need to know a bit more about what this man’s done to deserve death,” Vorin says.
He doesn’t like the looks of this man one bit, and is sizing him up as a potential threat for much of the conversation. The swirling colors in the man’s eyes are confusing; he doesn’t recall that in any story he’s heard.
”Why don’t you explain yourself a bit more, friend? We might be following up on Grabador, but we’re missing some of the, shall we say, context.”
He’ll also try insight, hoping Skeer’s face gives something away. Insight: 21
Something... does not add up with that explanation in Vadania's mind. If vampirism was reason enough for the tavern owner to be killed, which it was, that raises questions as to why Grabador himself was a thrall. Did he meet the owner and then was turned? She asks, "Has Grabador hunted other such "Vampires" for you before?"
Vorin cross his arms and glares at the man, straightening to his full height and puffing his chest out to look a bit more intimidating.
Barring his tusks, he says, “Somehow I don’t think Grabador was hunting vamps. If you want things done, you ought to trust us with some real info. Cause I don’t think we’d like it if we found this guy and he wasn’t one. And then you sure wouldn’t be happy.”
"If we are not satisfied with the information Skeer is willing to share,"Vannithos adds calmly to the others, "He does appear to be alone." He leaves the implication unsaid.
The dhampir's tone is ice and iron.“You’re lying.” Olgha doesn’t move at first, but there’s a shift in the air around her...a tightening, as if the night itself holds its breath. Her eyes, already hard, grow cold as river ice. Skeer’s words'I will kill the boy' hit her like a blade, slicing through old wounds that have never truly healed.
She steps out from the wagon’s shadow, putting herself fully between Skeer and Garil. The moonlight catches the sharp lines of her face, and for an instant, the red in her hair seems to flare like coals.“Try it,” she says, her voice low, not loud, but terrible in its certainty. “I’ve burned monsters worse than you to ashes. I’ve buried friends and enemies alike for less than what you just threatened.” Her hand rests lightly on her dagger’s hilt...no bluff, but a promise.
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Olgha’s eyes narrow, the unnatural stillness prickling beneath her skin. The horses’ terror is contagious; she feels it coil in her stomach, mingling with the hunger that always simmers just below the surface. She leans forward, casting a quick, wordless glance at her companions...a silent warning to be ready. She draws her hood a little lower over her copper hair, her voice smooth and low, carefully neutral. “You’re mistaken,” she says, studying the figure’s posture, his hands, the cut of his coat...searching for weapons, for tells, for any sign of what he truly is. “There’s no one named Grabador here. Why are you looking for him?”
Insight = 7
She positions herself subtly so that Garil is behind her, one hand near her belt, ready to draw a blade at a moment’s notice. Her other hand rests lightly on the wagon’s frame, ready to leap or run if the need arises. Her gaze doesn’t leave the stranger’s hidden face, but she’s listening, every muscle taut. If he comes closer, she’ll be ready.
Vannithos narrows his eyes, remaining seated and motionless. He studies the man--or the thing that wears a man’s shape. The way the mouth moves just a little too late, the voice crawling through the mind like frost. Every instinct sharpened by years in the Shadowfell whispers 'wrong'.
Insight: 17
"Hmm, I see. You must be some other recruits then. Grabador was supposed to meet me here for a job, but... perhaps he died trying to get here." His eyes seem to light up into flames for a brief instant, before returning to normal. "No matter. Maybe you would be willing to take his place? You're already on the right path." He gives you a grin, revealing a pair of fangs in his mouth, before chuckling in a way that sounds painful for him.
Vannithos tilts his head slightly. "He isn't lying," the elf murmurs to the others, "Grabador had a talent for finding trouble it seems."
Noticing the flame in his eyes drew Engelheart's attention. "So since we are on the path as the 'man' says, we might as well hear him out about this job Grabador is going to miss out on. What shall we call you?" Engelheart was intrigued by this creature, he was sure they would be eventually be removing it's existence in due time, but perhaps it could lead them to the larger hive to burn out. For Garil's sake, Engelheart was hoping this isn't Lohse that he was going to try and find.
"You may call me Skeer, though I don't suppose we'll be seeing much of each other after this." As he says this, his eyes begin to swirl in a variety of colors, none of them very natural for an eye.
Vadania would look away, not wanting to look at the swirl of colors. She does however wish to play along with taking a job from him because she feels pretending to be working with this... creature... could yield some clues.
Still looking away, she speaks, "I am interested. What is the job you would like us to do?"
Also Short Rest Healing: 9
"In Zorre, there is a lounge called the Ivory Unicorn. Ask the woman outside if they serve any fish. She will take you to meet the man who runs the lounge, and you are to kill him. The woman will pay you after the job is done." The man then turns back to the woods, and begins to walk away.
Olgha’s jaw tenses at the casual way Skeer delivers the assignment, as if arranging a carriage ride rather than a killing. After a beat, she speaks, her tone even and unhurried, careful not to betray the flicker of unease running beneath her skin. “That’s a lot of trust to place in strangers. Why him? What did the man at the Ivory Unicorn do to earn a death sentence?”
She doesn’t move her hand from the wagon rail, but her body shifts just enough to shield Garil from view. Her other hand hovers near a hidden dagger, just in case the job comes with strings...or fangs. Her eyes never leave Skeer’s face, watching for any sign of deception or amusement at their expense. “You want us to kill for you. I want a reason. We are not assassins, where are hunters.”
Insight = 18
Vannithos is also curious as to why this lounge owner is being targeted. He listens as his eyes scan the trees in the direction Skeer seems to be heading, looking for any other figures lurking about.
Perception: 7
Vadania was ready to move on. She felt this place was dangerous to stay in and they could get answers from the lounge owner himself. She had no real intention of fulfilling the request but was willing to move on and play along until they could go and talk to their "Target".
However she tensed up when Olgha asked the question. She started at Skeer, waiting for some sign of hostility or or agitation or anything.
Insight: 15
“Aye, I think I need to know a bit more about what this man’s done to deserve death,” Vorin says.
He doesn’t like the looks of this man one bit, and is sizing him up as a potential threat for much of the conversation. The swirling colors in the man’s eyes are confusing; he doesn’t recall that in any story he’s heard.
”Why don’t you explain yourself a bit more, friend? We might be following up on Grabador, but we’re missing some of the, shall we say, context.”
He’ll also try insight, hoping Skeer’s face gives something away. Insight: 21
Skeer sighs before turning back to face you. "He is a vampire. Is that reason enough for you? Or do you wish to hear his life story?"
Something... does not add up with that explanation in Vadania's mind. If vampirism was reason enough for the tavern owner to be killed, which it was, that raises questions as to why Grabador himself was a thrall. Did he meet the owner and then was turned? She asks, "Has Grabador hunted other such "Vampires" for you before?"
"That is irrelevant to you task at hand. Kill the man, or you will not get paid. Simple as." He once again turns to leave into the forest.
Vorin cross his arms and glares at the man, straightening to his full height and puffing his chest out to look a bit more intimidating.
Barring his tusks, he says, “Somehow I don’t think Grabador was hunting vamps. If you want things done, you ought to trust us with some real info. Cause I don’t think we’d like it if we found this guy and he wasn’t one. And then you sure wouldn’t be happy.”
"If we are not satisfied with the information Skeer is willing to share," Vannithos adds calmly to the others, "He does appear to be alone." He leaves the implication unsaid.
"You will DO as I say or I will kill the boy you think you are hiding from me. Do you understand?"
Vadania does not like being threatened nor does she like dragging an innocent boy's life into this. She growls lowly at Skeer.
(This was mostly an RP thing so not sure if Intimidation roll is necessary but... rolling anyway just in case it is)
Intimidate: 22 (NAT20)
The dhampir's tone is ice and iron.“You’re lying.” Olgha doesn’t move at first, but there’s a shift in the air around her...a tightening, as if the night itself holds its breath. Her eyes, already hard, grow cold as river ice. Skeer’s words'I will kill the boy' hit her like a blade, slicing through old wounds that have never truly healed.
She steps out from the wagon’s shadow, putting herself fully between Skeer and Garil. The moonlight catches the sharp lines of her face, and for an instant, the red in her hair seems to flare like coals. “Try it,” she says, her voice low, not loud, but terrible in its certainty. “I’ve burned monsters worse than you to ashes. I’ve buried friends and enemies alike for less than what you just threatened.” Her hand rests lightly on her dagger’s hilt...no bluff, but a promise.