Soar, it doesn't appear that the cultists are making any special effort. They seem utterly indifferent, though they are still keeping themselves to themselves for the most part.
Jamna gives a big sigh of relief at your words. I see. I see. Well, that answers that question. Yes. Thank you, she says, turning directly to Soar. You've made my life a fair bit easier. I think... well, I think I could have broken in to take a look for myself without being caught, but it's a risk, no doubt. You've saved me some trouble. I don't know a huge amount about this particular group - the Cult of the Dragon has been active across these lands for a very long time, mostly in obscurity with no leadership and no plan, but that's definitely changed now. They are cagey about their names, aren't they! But the leader is called Henton; I didn't catch his last name. Or at least, that's the name the others use - it might be real, it might not be. Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything about their destination after Waterdeep?
(Did she agree to keep quiet and work with us, and did she say how she knows about us, and what she knows about us? That was the pro that she was offering for her quid of information...)
(I asked because of the caveat I put into my post about 'if she agrees' etc before Boar would say the rest... my intention was to speed up the interaction with the assumption built into the rest of the dialogue, but if she didn't agree to anything, Boar wouldn't have said all that.)
Sorry, I misread. She would have said the following:
Well, I'm here to watch the Cult of the Dragon, and I think you have a similar mission, so... yes. I am willing to work with you. Grateful for the help, in fact. I only have one pair of eyes. As to how and what I know about you, I don't know anything except what I've learned from speaking to the fine folks of this here caravan over the last few days. I'm good at listening, you see. People talk about you all, your heroics, your magic, all sorts of things. When I'm with a new group, I try to listen to whatever I can. Sort out who might be an ally, and who might be a problem, if you see what I mean.
(Does that satisfy Soar, so she will say the rest?)
That works... I think she would ask, though, who she thinks they work for, and would not volunteer any information about that. No one in the caravan knows, other than Carlon. So she's probably doing some assuming, and Soar would just want to know as much as she can.
But yeah, I think it's fine to have the exchange after that. She gives Elspeth a brief look of apology.
Elspeth rubs the bridge of her nose as she considers what information they have before them - she can feel a headache coming on, but this at least was unlikely to be caused by stray bone splinters. She gives Soar a tiny shake of her head, trying to indicate that no, she wasn't particularly worried about the information she was giving up. She doesn't know much much she's willing to trust Jamna, but Soar wasn't sharing anything sensitive.
"We'd be grateful for any help you could spare us, indeed, Jamna. Yes, like you, we're worried about what the cult is up to. I'm not going to mince my words, but I don't know how much I'd be willing to share if there's no guarantee you'll share in kind. We have - well, we've been doing our best, but like you said, they're not exactly open-mouthed. I'd like it if were on friendlier terms, but I will take temporary allies. Enemy of my enemy and so on, but, can I ask what connection you have to these cultists? How did you find out what they were?"
[Sorry, had a late night and didn't want to post until I was less sleep-addled. Elspeth would have been making insight checks like crazy through this: 18 likewise with Soar, less sharing information and more asking Jamna what she knows.]
"We have no idea where they're headed after Waterdeep. They could depart the caravan before Waterdeep, but probably not. I think the more we can keep eyes on them, the better. If they're really willing to act against us so boldly and violently, perhaps they're getting desperate," she says, pulling out a few still-damp lumps she found in her breakfast.
"How do you know if they're bone things? Any way to tell? Anyhow, let's try to keep eyes on each other and on them. It'd be nice to have more allies." A faint trace of Soar's sunniness starts to peek through the dreary veneer of Boar's dour countenance. She asks if Jamna's heard anything about any of the other travelers in the caravan. "Ever snuck past a gargoyle before?"
Elspeth, your Insight tells you that the gnome certainly is keeping some things from you, but you don't sense any particular lie in what she is saying.
As I said, my employers have an interest in them. An interest in ensuring that their plans don't come to fruition. Whatever the details, whatever the particular plot, the Cult of the Dragon wants one thing and one thing only - a return to a time when dragons ruled the world and enslaved folk like you and me.
In response to Soar, she says: Well, I'll keep watch on them in the city. They are slippery, and Waterdeep is a place that people can get lost in. Fortunately, I know my way around. She shakes her head at the sight of the lumps. The bone slivers are well crafted and well hidden, and not magical - hard to detect. It takes a practised eye. I can talk you through it, but not today. She stands, getting ready to leave, but turns to Soar. Ah, the gargoyle. Your employer's pet? No, I never have, but I suspect I could. Why? Planning a robbery?
Boar’s eyebrows rise at Jamna's contention that the cult is trying to bring back dragon enslavement. I’m trying to remember OOC what we have heard about their plans - this is a new thing, right?
”Really thought that there might be poison in use, but I had no idea these existed. Nasty idea. Nasty people. As to the gargoyle, it’s partly that I was trying to simulate what an infiltration might look like. Testing security readiness, looking for weak points. That sort of thing. It’s also partly curiosity. Neither of them say much of anything. We don’t know what’s inside. The gargoyle’s constantly trying to fight off smaller creatures trying to get in, and we don’t know why, after all this time.”
Boar is again fishing for information and seeing if the gnome is interested in taking a look on her own and working together to look into what’s inside the wagon, or suggest ways of getting in quietly - something that is not Soar’s forte. She’s not expecting free help but hoping to persuade her to give some tips and insight on how to go about it.
Otherwise she is done with the conversation and ready to return to her wagon. Anything interesting going on with Lasfelro or the gargoyle?
Soar, you don't get much reaction or interest from the gnome - she doesn't seem to care much about the gargoyle.
The meeting comes to a close, and you each return to your respective posts. There's nothing special going on with Lasfelro or the gargoyle. :)
The journey resumes, and two more days pass. Soar, you are visited each night by the pixie, though she is becoming more forlorn; she seems to have no ideas how to enter the wagon without being detected, and the second night appears slightly wounded - the gargoyle caught her in her latest attempt, and though she's not too badly wounded, she seems a little shaken. She's also worried about following the wagon into a city like Waterdeep, far from the natural world.
On the morning of the third day, an hour before sunrise, a loud cry resonates across the caravan:
MURDER!!
People rouse themselves groggily at first, but the cry repeats and soon people are rushing to find its source. Its source is about twenty feet from where the cultists have parked their wagons in a circle, and a man stands over a body lying face down in the dirt. The man standing is the one that Jemna identified as Henton, the apparent leader of this group of cultists. He stands above the body, looking wildly, furiously from side to side.
You all approach, having roused yourselves or been sent by your employer to investigate. As you arrive, the man, his face visible in the torchlight despite the surrounding darkness, raises his hand and points one finger at Jalt. Murderer, he says.
Boar looks at Jalt and gives him her best “zone of truth?” look. She also looks at the body and tries to see in the torchlight who it looks like, if it seems the body was just dumped there, what wounds if any there are, and if there are any signs of struggle in the dirt around it.
Nate would just be sending a blatant, noticeably evil gaze towards the cultist, his eyes not coming off the man for one second. Nate figures that waiting for Jalt's response is the best course of action.
Stay back, Henton shouts as Soar approaches. Perhaps you were involved, or perhaps not. I do not trust you, nor those who consort with you. He raises his voice. Come, fellow travellers, aid us, please. We know the dragonborn and his friends are fond of lurking in shadows, watching all our comings and goings. Did anyone see him last night, committing this foul deed. Or, he relents, perhaps it was not him. Perhaps that one, and he points at Elspeth, his accomplice.
The crowd mutters, somewhat confused and hesitant. Henton's not really carrying them so far.
(I'll take that as a Perception roll with disadvantage from Soar because you can't really get close enough for a proper examination. He's dead - looks like a stab to the back, maybe with a dagger or sword, it's hard to tell.)
"Who is that? Does anyone know their names? It's terrible to lose someone, but let's calm down. Not sure why you're waking everyone up accusing specific people if you don't know who did this."
She asks about the names quietly, almost under her breath. She's trying to remind the caravan implicitly that she and "her friends" are known, trusted, helpful components of the caravan, while no one even knows the cultists' names.
Murderer?Jalt answers seemingly unamused by the accusation. Throwing false accusations out is very unbecoming. He steps closer to the man and the scene. Is he one of yours? Jalt asks Hard to know since your group is closed off. And since none of you do anything to help defend the caravan against the dangers that it has come across on this journey. But... he raises his finger.. that is exactly what we do. We help. So how can we help you investigate this murder?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Hoard of the Dragon Queen - Jalt Rhogar - Dragonborn Cleric (9)
That's right, calls a voice from the crowd. You recognise the young guard Jak, and there's a murmur of agreement. What did you do, while they were fighting for us?
Enough! says another voice, and Losvius (the merchant who employs Jalt and Elspeth) steps out in front of the others. The young man makes a good point, but it is not the matter under discussion here. He looks with evident dislike, but also some authority, towards Henton. The matter must be investigated it is true. Will you allow me to do so?
Henton and the other cultists look unhappy, but they allow Losvius to take a proper look at the body. It takes a minute or two, but afterwards he stands up and turns to the crowd which now might include the whole caravan. A single thrust through the back, into the heart. A shortsword, I should think.
She carries such a weapon! One of the other cultists shouts, pointing at Elspeth.
Soar, it doesn't appear that the cultists are making any special effort. They seem utterly indifferent, though they are still keeping themselves to themselves for the most part.
Jamna gives a big sigh of relief at your words. I see. I see. Well, that answers that question. Yes. Thank you, she says, turning directly to Soar. You've made my life a fair bit easier. I think... well, I think I could have broken in to take a look for myself without being caught, but it's a risk, no doubt. You've saved me some trouble. I don't know a huge amount about this particular group - the Cult of the Dragon has been active across these lands for a very long time, mostly in obscurity with no leadership and no plan, but that's definitely changed now. They are cagey about their names, aren't they! But the leader is called Henton; I didn't catch his last name. Or at least, that's the name the others use - it might be real, it might not be. Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything about their destination after Waterdeep?
(Did she agree to keep quiet and work with us, and did she say how she knows about us, and what she knows about us? That was the pro that she was offering for her quid of information...)
(OOC: She only said what I wrote above, nothing else so far.)
(I asked because of the caveat I put into my post about 'if she agrees' etc before Boar would say the rest... my intention was to speed up the interaction with the assumption built into the rest of the dialogue, but if she didn't agree to anything, Boar wouldn't have said all that.)
Sorry, I misread. She would have said the following:
Well, I'm here to watch the Cult of the Dragon, and I think you have a similar mission, so... yes. I am willing to work with you. Grateful for the help, in fact. I only have one pair of eyes. As to how and what I know about you, I don't know anything except what I've learned from speaking to the fine folks of this here caravan over the last few days. I'm good at listening, you see. People talk about you all, your heroics, your magic, all sorts of things. When I'm with a new group, I try to listen to whatever I can. Sort out who might be an ally, and who might be a problem, if you see what I mean.
(Does that satisfy Soar, so she will say the rest?)
That works... I think she would ask, though, who she thinks they work for, and would not volunteer any information about that. No one in the caravan knows, other than Carlon. So she's probably doing some assuming, and Soar would just want to know as much as she can.
But yeah, I think it's fine to have the exchange after that. She gives Elspeth a brief look of apology.
I don't intend to name my employers, and I don't expect you to either. She smiles. We have a common cause. It's enough, I think.
(Pausing time let Elspeth post because she is key to this convo!) :)
Elspeth rubs the bridge of her nose as she considers what information they have before them - she can feel a headache coming on, but this at least was unlikely to be caused by stray bone splinters. She gives Soar a tiny shake of her head, trying to indicate that no, she wasn't particularly worried about the information she was giving up. She doesn't know much much she's willing to trust Jamna, but Soar wasn't sharing anything sensitive.
"We'd be grateful for any help you could spare us, indeed, Jamna. Yes, like you, we're worried about what the cult is up to. I'm not going to mince my words, but I don't know how much I'd be willing to share if there's no guarantee you'll share in kind. We have - well, we've been doing our best, but like you said, they're not exactly open-mouthed. I'd like it if were on friendlier terms, but I will take temporary allies. Enemy of my enemy and so on, but, can I ask what connection you have to these cultists? How did you find out what they were?"
[Sorry, had a late night and didn't want to post until I was less sleep-addled. Elspeth would have been making insight checks like crazy through this: 18 likewise with Soar, less sharing information and more asking Jamna what she knows.]
"We have no idea where they're headed after Waterdeep. They could depart the caravan before Waterdeep, but probably not. I think the more we can keep eyes on them, the better. If they're really willing to act against us so boldly and violently, perhaps they're getting desperate," she says, pulling out a few still-damp lumps she found in her breakfast.
"How do you know if they're bone things? Any way to tell? Anyhow, let's try to keep eyes on each other and on them. It'd be nice to have more allies." A faint trace of Soar's sunniness starts to peek through the dreary veneer of Boar's dour countenance. She asks if Jamna's heard anything about any of the other travelers in the caravan. "Ever snuck past a gargoyle before?"
Elspeth, your Insight tells you that the gnome certainly is keeping some things from you, but you don't sense any particular lie in what she is saying.
As I said, my employers have an interest in them. An interest in ensuring that their plans don't come to fruition. Whatever the details, whatever the particular plot, the Cult of the Dragon wants one thing and one thing only - a return to a time when dragons ruled the world and enslaved folk like you and me.
In response to Soar, she says: Well, I'll keep watch on them in the city. They are slippery, and Waterdeep is a place that people can get lost in. Fortunately, I know my way around. She shakes her head at the sight of the lumps. The bone slivers are well crafted and well hidden, and not magical - hard to detect. It takes a practised eye. I can talk you through it, but not today. She stands, getting ready to leave, but turns to Soar. Ah, the gargoyle. Your employer's pet? No, I never have, but I suspect I could. Why? Planning a robbery?
Boar’s eyebrows rise at Jamna's contention that the cult is trying to bring back dragon enslavement. I’m trying to remember OOC what we have heard about their plans - this is a new thing, right?
”Really thought that there might be poison in use, but I had no idea these existed. Nasty idea. Nasty people. As to the gargoyle, it’s partly that I was trying to simulate what an infiltration might look like. Testing security readiness, looking for weak points. That sort of thing. It’s also partly curiosity. Neither of them say much of anything. We don’t know what’s inside. The gargoyle’s constantly trying to fight off smaller creatures trying to get in, and we don’t know why, after all this time.”
Boar is again fishing for information and seeing if the gnome is interested in taking a look on her own and working together to look into what’s inside the wagon, or suggest ways of getting in quietly - something that is not Soar’s forte. She’s not expecting free help but hoping to persuade her to give some tips and insight on how to go about it.
Otherwise she is done with the conversation and ready to return to her wagon. Anything interesting going on with Lasfelro or the gargoyle?
Soar, you don't get much reaction or interest from the gnome - she doesn't seem to care much about the gargoyle.
The meeting comes to a close, and you each return to your respective posts. There's nothing special going on with Lasfelro or the gargoyle. :)
The journey resumes, and two more days pass. Soar, you are visited each night by the pixie, though she is becoming more forlorn; she seems to have no ideas how to enter the wagon without being detected, and the second night appears slightly wounded - the gargoyle caught her in her latest attempt, and though she's not too badly wounded, she seems a little shaken. She's also worried about following the wagon into a city like Waterdeep, far from the natural world.
On the morning of the third day, an hour before sunrise, a loud cry resonates across the caravan:
MURDER!!
People rouse themselves groggily at first, but the cry repeats and soon people are rushing to find its source. Its source is about twenty feet from where the cultists have parked their wagons in a circle, and a man stands over a body lying face down in the dirt. The man standing is the one that Jemna identified as Henton, the apparent leader of this group of cultists. He stands above the body, looking wildly, furiously from side to side.
You all approach, having roused yourselves or been sent by your employer to investigate. As you arrive, the man, his face visible in the torchlight despite the surrounding darkness, raises his hand and points one finger at Jalt. Murderer, he says.
Boar looks at Jalt and gives him her best “zone of truth?” look. She also looks at the body and tries to see in the torchlight who it looks like, if it seems the body was just dumped there, what wounds if any there are, and if there are any signs of struggle in the dirt around it.
Couple vanilla d20 rolls for whatever is needed:
6 9
Nate would just be sending a blatant, noticeably evil gaze towards the cultist, his eyes not coming off the man for one second. Nate figures that waiting for Jalt's response is the best course of action.
Stay back, Henton shouts as Soar approaches. Perhaps you were involved, or perhaps not. I do not trust you, nor those who consort with you. He raises his voice. Come, fellow travellers, aid us, please. We know the dragonborn and his friends are fond of lurking in shadows, watching all our comings and goings. Did anyone see him last night, committing this foul deed. Or, he relents, perhaps it was not him. Perhaps that one, and he points at Elspeth, his accomplice.
The crowd mutters, somewhat confused and hesitant. Henton's not really carrying them so far.
(I'll take that as a Perception roll with disadvantage from Soar because you can't really get close enough for a proper examination. He's dead - looks like a stab to the back, maybe with a dagger or sword, it's hard to tell.)
Boar doesn't approach, she's just looking.
"Who is that? Does anyone know their names? It's terrible to lose someone, but let's calm down. Not sure why you're waking everyone up accusing specific people if you don't know who did this."
She asks about the names quietly, almost under her breath. She's trying to remind the caravan implicitly that she and "her friends" are known, trusted, helpful components of the caravan, while no one even knows the cultists' names.
Murderer? Jalt answers seemingly unamused by the accusation. Throwing false accusations out is very unbecoming. He steps closer to the man and the scene. Is he one of yours? Jalt asks Hard to know since your group is closed off. And since none of you do anything to help defend the caravan against the dangers that it has come across on this journey. But... he raises his finger.. that is exactly what we do. We help. So how can we help you investigate this murder?
Hoard of the Dragon Queen - Jalt Rhogar - Dragonborn Cleric (9)
"Ive heard it both ways."
That's right, calls a voice from the crowd. You recognise the young guard Jak, and there's a murmur of agreement. What did you do, while they were fighting for us?
Enough! says another voice, and Losvius (the merchant who employs Jalt and Elspeth) steps out in front of the others. The young man makes a good point, but it is not the matter under discussion here. He looks with evident dislike, but also some authority, towards Henton. The matter must be investigated it is true. Will you allow me to do so?
Henton and the other cultists look unhappy, but they allow Losvius to take a proper look at the body. It takes a minute or two, but afterwards he stands up and turns to the crowd which now might include the whole caravan. A single thrust through the back, into the heart. A shortsword, I should think.
She carries such a weapon! One of the other cultists shouts, pointing at Elspeth.
Boar mentally scans through how many people she knows in the caravan who carry shortswords.
She also thinks back to the last night to wonder who Elspeth had spent time with.