Above & Below

(Very timely Nat 20 XD)

Kurama gave the man his staff (which until this moment I forgotten he had) before entering the premises.  If only they could remove whatever is inside of me as well.  Kurama thought wistfully to himself as he was lead to the baron.

Effort nods and hands over her dagger and staff as well, trailing after the guard.  

"Well, I have gotten you your audience, Brask," Effort says quietly to her companions.  "Do you wish to make our case to the Baron personally?  I will, of course, lend my full support to anyone who feels they have the right approach for dealing this man."

Sometimes the 'right' approach isn't the 'fun' approach, Brask says.  But you talk to him, and I'll jump in if you screw up, how's that?

You're escorted through the gate and into the front door of the baron's home. The size is modest for the leader of a town - at least by Oshait standards - but it's still an impressive home amongst the single-room dwellings you've passed on the way up the hill. There are bits of pottery and artwork adorning the walls and a few shelves throughout the foyer and main hall. Again, nothing fancy or inlaid with gold, but brightly colored paintings and expertly made vases that add the first pops of color you've seen in days...or weeks.

As you're led down the hall, a woman passes you and smiles. Her dark hair falls down the length of her back, and she carries the excess of her white robe in one of her hands. You hear her heading up the stairs. You enter the dining room at the far end of the house, with windows behind the main table looking out over the back fence into the forest. In another world, it might make for a pretty view. It's getting quite dark outside now - you assume the sun has set somewhere behind the clouds. 

The baron sits at the head of the table and gestures for you to take your own seats - there are five more, enough for everyone. He seems to be in his 40s or 50s, with dark hair and a salt and pepper beard. He wears a red tunic that accentuates his belly. As you sit, he swigs down whatever was in his cup.

"Good evening, welcome." He studies each of you as you join him. "As you surely already know, I am Baron Rin Whiteroot, the protector of this village. And I've been interrupted with some great urgency surrounding your arrival. Please, tell me what you came to say. I do hope it is as important as my guards made it seem."

Effort nods politely as she seats herself at the table.  “Well, whether or not you consider our warning to be something of importance depends entirely on you, and how you care for this town, I suppose.”

She folds her hands in her laps, posture straight, and smiles slightly at Rin, beginning to feed the man a mixture of both lies and truth.  She begins with the truth, the best base by which to build a lie: 

“We hail from Osthait… a name you will likely not have heard of, for it is a world apart from Gredica.  It is a land much different from here. For all of its flaws, it was once markedly less plagued by strife and unrest than here – though that has, in recent times, changed.  A few of us noticed our own world shifting and becoming more dangerous… unraveling at the seams, if you will.

Our investigations and pursuit led us to the culprit of our world – a demon cult led by the Gnoll Prince, Yeenoghu.  His plan – to kidnap and brainwash users of arcane power, and channel that collected power for a purpose we had, until recently, not known.

It was in our final push to end this cult that we were confronted with the truth, from the mouths of the insane cultists themselves – Yeenoghu had, against the wills of both the gods and the devils, entered into a pact with a demon from your own plane, by the name of Doresain.”

Here Effort pauses and watches Rin carefully, to see if the name provokes any sort of reaction out of the man.  Insight:  20  She continues regardless, beginning to weave the theories and lies into her tale as if they were fact:

“Once enemies with Yeenoghu, these two demon lords have put aside their differences and formed a pact to consume all of the worlds in their reach, both above and below. 

Doresain, the ruler of ghouls and undead, stirs in your hell.  It hopes to overrun your world, just as Yeenoghu has overwhelmed our own.  They a piece of the Greater Demon Satan, torn asunder in ages past. His heart buried in the center of Osthait, but extends beyond our own mortal realm. We can only assume that Doresain seeks the same here, somehow – to recover and claim the heart of the greater demon we know as Satan, and to harness its power to take over your world and throw it into the same darkness that has tainted our own.”

She pauses, and leans forward, trying to impress the gravity of the situation upon the baron.  “For reasons we do not know, our benefactors – greater powers with a vested interest in keeping these two demon lords from ascending to supremacy – have pointed us to your village."  Here, Effort touches her forehead and whispers, as if in prayer to some sort of holy deity (casting Guidance on herself). 

"What is special here?  Is there an artifact?  A node of power buried under your town?  Is this where Doresain seeks to establish his gate and unleash his demons upon this world?  Or is it perhaps… the baron himself, with powers untapped which the demons wish to use to their own ends?  Arcane users were hunted and kidnapped in our world.  Has it begun in yours as well?  Have you felt… watched?  Targeted?  Are your guards truly enough to keep you safe, when the threat which faces you is so far beyond the mundane?”

She leans back and steeples her fingers under her chin.  “We are here to help.  It may be too late to save our own world, but yours still has a fighting chance.  If we can stop this Doresain from finding its artifact, perhaps we can save your world from destruction.  Should that not be reason enough to motivate you to aid us in our quest, your own enlightened self-interest should at least give you reason to act.”

She leans back, her piece said, and waits for Rin’s response.

(Uhhhh… deception?  Do I get advantage from Brask nodding to every word? XD )

Deception with advantage: 23 + Guidance 4

(so many grammar errors... I will refrain from editing though because I don't want the dice roller to yell at me and those are some good rolls! XD  Sorry about the bad english XD)

The baron listens. He seems distracted a bit as you begin, refilling his cup with a clear liquid - water or booze, you're not sure - and taking a swig. His focus sharpens as you get to the meat of your tale, telling of demons and dangers potentially endangering this world and this town. Your impeccable insight reveals that this man does not know either of the names you speak - Yeenoghu or Doresain. His reaction to both is the same confused interest. As you finish, he scratches the bottom of his beard and sits back in his chair. 

"That is one hell of a story you have yourself," he starts. He looks around at the rest of the party and then refocuses on Effort. "Even if I were to believe you, I'm not sure what help I can be. There's no ancient magic here or some mythical weapon in a gilded chest somewhere."

He pauses as if a thought occurred to him. He looks down, brow furrowed, and then back up. "As crazy as you sound, lady, I've been around long enough to see some strange things. Strange enough to make me listen to the crazy stories. Now...what you're probably looking for are The Three Sisters. But I'm not so sure that's a tree you want to start barking up. They might have answers, but you might not like them. Hell, they might even be working with this demon or that. And besides, I haven't seen one of them in years. Got an inkling where one might be, but..."

The baron tips his cup toward himself, surveying how much is left. He turns his head to the side, looking off at nothing in particular in the corner of the room. He looks back. "I can give you what information I have, but I'll need some help first. World in danger or not, I have to look out for my people and a couple of mercenaries ordained by some higher power seems like a blessing I can't pass up. What say you?"

Effort sighs a bit.  She'd been hoping for more than just a location of the Sisters -- something Gil and Ava had already told them about -- but she supposed having the baron in an amicable mood was better than having him annoyed at being interrupted during his post-dinner drink.  Still, her eyes sharpen as she sees another opportunity to bargain.

"That depends on how long your job will take... and how well it will pay.  We are, as you say, mercenaries, and while we come to offer what aid we can, we still need to equip and supply ourselves to survive these encounters.  Thoughts and prayers can only take one so far, after all; one needs concrete support to offer concrete assistance, as they say.  Besides that, a listing of your most reputable and well-stocked shops in this village would also aid us greatly, as well as providing us for the stay while we are here.  I am sure at least the latter would be no issue for a man of means such as yourself."

He smirks. "Oh, it's been a long time since I've had to bargain with anyone! I miss it, honestly. Of course I'm happy to set you up at the inn, hot meals, all that. You won't find anything particularly interesting in town, unfortunately. We've a blacksmith if you're in need of weaponry. The little stand across from the inn usually sells bread in the morning. Potatoes, carrots, turnips. I can gave you a parchment with my seal - take what you'd like and I'll pay them later. As for payment, the information is the payment, you see. Nobody knows all that much about the Sisters. Surely not where you can actually find them. But I do. Well, at least two of them. But you know what? Help me out and I will happily toss a few gold your way as well."

Kurama listened intently as Effort and the Baron began to go back and forth with.  At the mention of the Sisters, Kurama's ears perked up.  At a break in the conversation, he asked the Baron, "How can you know the the Sisters' locations for sure.  As I understand it, the beings travel all across your realm and are only encountered when they see fit or to serve 'justice'".  

Insight on how truthful the Baron seems to be: 7

Effort nods, satisfied with this agreement.  She turns the negotiations over to her companions, thinking already in some disappointment that there is no one in this small town who might be interested in purchasing the strange basilisk eye in her pack.  Perhaps it will come in handy when dealing with the Sisters, though...

What's the job? asks Brask, glad to be back on more familiar and comfortable territory that hopefully wouldn't involve demon dog gods or suchlike.  He looks the baron over, wondering whether he has any fighting skills, or might have done so in the past.  He keeps an eye on Pip to make sure he doesn't get into trouble.

"The Sisters are mysterious, that is certain," he turns to Kurama. "And powerful. They see things in us...things to judge. Sometimes it's as simple as letting something you're looking for, find you. Ha! That sure sounds deep, doesn't it? The truth is I had my own run in with one of them half a lifetime ago. You won't find many run into one of those things and live to tell about it. But I came away with some knowledge that would be useful to you."

He seems to become more comfortable as your conversation goes on. As far as you an tell, Kurama, he's telling the truth about the Sisters, including the fact that he met or somehow interacted with one once. Brask, as you look him over, you get a sense that he was probably an adventurer or soldier in the past. He's certainly grown older and fatter, but his overall figure is broad and probably has some muscle underneath. He certainly carries himself confidently enough. Think Robert Baratheon from Game of Thrones - maybe ever-so-slightly older.

"Ah, the job is a fun one." He smiles at the minotaur. "There's a town - Blackfort - about thirty miles east that considers themselves the cream of the crop 'round here. We've a bit of rivalry with them, and they generally leave us alone as we have some capable fighters. But the other towns? Blackfort shows up weekly to pick and choose what they want to tax from 'em - food and drink, mostly. There was a feeble attempt at rebellion a few years ago, but nothing came of it. And well, I want you and your friends here to give them a taste of their own medicine. Take what they took, and, um, redistribute it, see?"

A smaller man enters the room and stands by the doorway. The baron waves and shakes his head, and the man exits. "I don't know if that's beneath your righteous mission, but these men are no good. And I say that as a man who has committed plenty of sins. But that's how this world works, eh? Eat or be eaten."

Luck rolls for...something: 5 12

"It does not sound like we have much of a choice."  Pausing to turn to the others, he continued, "For our mission, I am willing to 'play bandit' for a little while." Turning back to the Baron, he added, "Is there anyone or place of note in Blackfort we should keep an eye out for?"

Effort merely nods in agreement, crossing her arms.  Privately, she thinks it sounds like they're getting drawn into another, larger version of a "gang war" between these villages.  No matter; this Baron has the information that she needs and seems to be dealing with them openly enough.  "Fine," she murmurs, letting the others take the lead.

"Their baron is a coward. Sits in his makeshift throne all day." There is a true disdain in Rin's voice. "Sickly fellow. Pathetic. His wife's brother is the captain of his guard though. He'll be leading the caravan. Capable fighter, and he'll surely have a few other soldiers with him. But they're cocky, and they never travel with their full force. Get some rest, have a hot meal, and you can set out in the morning. They won't get moving before then anyway."

Brask thinks this is a perfectly reasonable job, and one he's happy to take, as he's taken similar work in the past.  He nods in agreement.  We'll take the job and do it well.  

The smaller man re-enters the room and extends a hand toward the hall, gesturing for you to follow him out. He leads you back through the front of the house and down the street. It's completely dark now, save for a few torch lights being held by guards outside. The street is quiet - nobody is outside and the homes are mostly dark. Finally you arrive at the small inn. The man leads you inside, hands the keep a small coin purse, nods, and leaves. The keep grumbles something through his white, patchy beard and leads you to your rooms. There's only two small rooms, but each has multiple beds.

"Fried potatoes at sunup." He leaves you to your rooms.

Kurama nodded in thanks to the man as he was offered his room.  Once he was out of earshot, he then turned to the others and said, "So I presume we'll be scouting this Blackfort tomorrow, assuming that we are still going along with the Baron's plan?  I suspect this will be more complicated than the man seems to imply"

Choosing a bed, Effort makes herself comfortable while checking in with Cadmael.

Did those guards ever return with Shei?  

Looking up at Kurama, she nods.  "Nothing is ever as simple as it seems, but if he can get us in touch with the Sisters, then this is a fair enough trade.  I suggest we all get some rest in preparation of whatever hardships tomorrow will bring."