Initiative: 13

Jalt's eyes widen as he hears the scream of the servant.

Soar initiative: 12

Her eyes meet Jalt's for a second, and then dart back to Teffert, still nonchalant. 

(If she goes first, she'll essentially approach this as 'what are you going to do about it' and try to pull rank, pretending to be heartless, but inside her insides will be knotting and worried about Nate.)

Okay, minor retcon.  Nate managed to close the door and take the cultist servant just far enough that the sound of his scream didn't carry.  However, he is still gone some time.

After a while, the servant who was sent to report your arrival returns and gives a deep bow.  My apologies for the wait, my Lord.  Lady Talis bids you welcome and to join her immediately.  She is waiting upstairs.  The servant gestures to the door, clearly expecting you to follow.

(Nate is still out in the woods, as the servant would have returned before him.)

Soar looks a bit helplessly at Jalt and Nub, and then, realizing that Nate can get into the lodge more easily and in more forms than the rest of them can, decides to trust him to do that.

"Lovely," she says. She will follow, but slowly, and only after taking a minute to gather herself and the group and stretch out her arms, after a long walk and a long wait. "When my friend returns, send him up after us."

The servant nods, and waits patiently as you all prepare to head up.

Nate walks with his victim through and into the woods.  At this point, we can say that the battle starts and plays out as above.  The servant screamed but was not heard.  Nate, you can make your next attack; the servant has attempted to flee rather than fight, and is now 30 feet away from you.

The other servant leads Soar, Jalt and Nub through the ground floor of the lodge.  The interior walls are stone with wood panelling; it's old but well maintained, and looks expensive.  The floor, however, is muddy and the rugs on the floor are heavy and mud-stained.  The door from the kitchen leads directly into a small, dark hall, and the servant guides you to the front of the house where you enter a small hall.  

At one end of the hall is the main door of the lodge - the front entrance that you chose not to take.   In this small hall, perhaps forty feet from side to side, you notice a few interesting features.  There are two flights of stairs leading up to the first floor, with carpets that seem considerably cleaner than those on the ground floor.  There are two very ugly statues, one at the base of each set of stairs - Soar, you would immediately recognise them as gargoyles, similar to the one your former employer used on the caravan.  They are not moving at all at the moment.  Flanking the main entrance are two freestanding suits of elven plate armor, both coated in chipped green paint.

The servant moves towards the nearest set of stairs, and gestures politely for you to follow.  My lords, my lady, this way if you please.

(I made the next attack - see above!)

So you did. :)

And yeah, that cultist servant is dead.  This time your claws sink into his neck and a fountain of blood spurts out; it's a bit messy, but you got something vital and the life drains from him before your eyes. 

The body of the man drops to the ground.  You have blood on your hands (literally).

What will Nate do next?

Soar follows, wondering if the kobolds are relegated to the ground floor where it's muddy. She's looking around for anyone at the top of the stairs watching them, stepping behind the servant leading them up. Her hand is never far from the pommel of her sword. 

OOC: We keep getting into these very harrowing subterfuge situations and it's hilarious we don't have a Rogue and one of our Faces is rather dopey and incurious. Hijinks!

there. now he won't see the mess we made with the drakes and the troll

Nate justifies his actions in his own mind as he tries the best he can to get the blood off his hands and body along with dealing with his massive adrenaline dump. cultist scum

He would use the bandages in his healer's kit to clean up (if you will allow it Steve - I can delete it from my inventory if this is a sufficient way to clean Nate) and then he would take a few moments and search the body. He'd then hide it, but take as little time doing so. Maybe like just move the body into a larger bush or something. Out of plain sight. 

After he'd cleaned himself up, and hid the body, he'd head back into the lodge, open the door and say to the servants "I have showed your colleague to the game outside. He said he'll take care of it and sent me back here. I will join my friends now. Please show me the way." 

Nate can certainly clean himself up - I don't think the bandages from the healer's kit would be expended, so you don't need to delete anything, just make sure you wash them before using again. :)

There are plenty of bushes around, even in this cold climate; winter is coming on, but there are evergreen trees and plants and Nate finds no trouble dumping the corpse out of sight.

The fight happened around the same time as the others were being led through the lodge, so we'll put Nate's story on hold - he has a few minutes' walk back to the lodge, during which the other side of the story will play out.

Soar, there is no-one else in the hall that you can see.

Nub and Jalt, anything you want to do or say as you are heading up the stairs to meet Lady Talis?

Jalt would just make sure that the armor is visible to everyone as they are walking but always keeping a hand on the hilt of his warpick.

OOC: We have no knowledge of how well-known the culists we're impersonating are, right? And there's no telling if this Talis would know they're dead? Soar's basically flipping a coin -- either springing a trap in the lodge that was going to happen anyway, ready to attack, or pretending to be Mondath and Cyanwrath on a gamble that no one who knew them all the way down in Greenest would have told the cultists in wherever we are about their deaths in the chaos of Greenest. The goal being to learn more through charm, bluffing, and intimidation. She'd also respond to any "but I heard you were dead" with bluffs of "what, do you think a few nonbelievers would be able to kill the Queen's Chosen?" etc.

Nub is keeping his mouth shut and eyes down. 

Jalt, Soar and Nub, you are escorted up the stairs and along another wood-panelled hallway.  A door at the end stands open and the servant bows once again to invite you to enter.

What looks to be a well-appointed chamber is filled with furniture and can serve as a place to eat food or discuss important matters. Once again, the general feel of rich-but-old is present in this room, as the furniture and decorations, though in immaculate condition, carry the weight of their age.

Three human men in the room wear scale mail and carry swords.  A half-elf woman wears robes over white scale mail, and she holds a wand set with a blue gemstone.  She watches you carefully as you enter, fully armed, into what seems to serve as her office.  Welcome. I consider you to be my guests. Perhaps we can do business.  She indicates some comfortable seats opposite the desk where she sits.  I see, Frulam, that you have become a half-elf since we last met, and Master Cyanwrath a dragonborn. She laughs lightly. Or.... perhaps we can dispense with such games, and get down to more serious matters?

Jalt looks at the three human men first and then to the lady addressing them. Jalt casually unsheathes his longsword that was crafted out of Cyanwrath's blade and places it on the table.  Again he looks to the human men and back to the lady. How serious would you like to get?

Jalt, make an Intimidation check.  No-one can help you with this. 

10

22

Talis hesitates for a second...

So, enemies of Mondath and Cyanwrath.  Dead at your hands, I assume?  Have you come seeking a reward?

A reward? Jalt says. Their deaths were reward enough for this follower of Bahamut. We've come here to root out this infestation before its too late. He looks to Soar and then to the three men. She also likes to chop off heads.

Talis remains still in her chair; she does not respond to Jalt's words this time, but waits for one of you to continue.