Lost Mine of Phandelver

Marcon and Rigel both go into a brief trance while they examine the doll. To the others, it appears as though they are frozen or stunned, but to the ranger and the barbarian, they experience a sort of flashback showing what happened the day prior before the party arrived at Linene's shop:

FLASHBACK:

Marcon and Rigel wake suddenly from their trance to shouts of the others who had seemingly been trying to get them to respond for what must have been several moments.

When Marcon and Rigel snap out of it, Ronk is slowly pulling his hand with an extended spit-covered finger away from Rigel's ear, aborting an attempt to rouse him with a wet willy.

Rigel shakes his head and gives Marcon a wide eyed look. "Did you see that!? What the hell was that!?" he turns to the others and continues. "I saw a clown with a push cart leave Linene a doll. She looked at it and it animated. It stabbed her with a needle and she went into some kind of zombie like state. She wandered around with her arms all flailing about. We should round up any townfolk we find and get everybody to the Stonehill. Maybe along the way we'll spot the magician or one of Harlans disvruntled friends." The ranger steps out of Linenes shop and looks about frying to spot Phandalin people.

Perception: 10

(Sorry for the delay I thought I posted this yesterday.)

"Ah, geeze. Ya don't have to yell." Marcon grumbled before shaking his head. But in eventual answer to Rigel, he'd nod, but take a moment to wrap up the doll in some cloth just prior to putting it away in his backpack. If he sees a remotely guilty looking Ronk, he'd raise brow, then go over and pat him on the shoulder. "I'unno what 'appened, but... it's all good." With that, Marcon followed the ranger out. "Any sign of that clown?" He asked Rigel, trusting his elven eyes far more than his still weary ones.

Rigel moves towards the exit, but just as he is about to go outside, he sees the door swinging open slowly and in strides a tall, slender female eladrin with dark skin and electric blue eyes. In one hand, she drags a large longsword with a red blade that appears to have a slight aura of darkness permeating from it. The tip of the sword scrapes along the wooden floor as she saunters in. "I understand that you have been looking for me," she purrs, "search no further for I am here."

Despite the sword in her hand, she does not appear hostile and apparently does not even have a scabbard to sheathe it in. The fact that she is holding the weapon seems simply because she has nowhere else to put it. Her grip is slack and her thin elvish fingers and spindly arms seem hardly constituent enough for someone with a frame such as hers to possess the ability to wield or employ the weapon with any modicum of efficiency.

Her expression is as slack as her grasp on the sword - she is neither smiling nor scowling, but clearly mentally present...much unlike the look on Linene's face after she had held the doll. The eladrin looks at everyone around the room until her gaze comes to rest on the party's wizard. "And hello again, Vanzaren Tanidoni...I was beginning to think we'd lost our best sword swallowing act, but it appears you've returned. Welcome home."

As Isolde's words lingered in the air, Harlan shrank with fear, clutching his hat in his hands and slowly sidestepping behind Ronk, hoping his boss hadn't seen him, even thought he knew she had.

"Isolde, I'm afraid you're misinformed but it is good that you're here. It seems a couple of our fellow towns folk have encountered some nefarious characters employed here in your menagerie. For instance, as you can see the owner of this shop isn't present. We have it on good authority that one of you vendors caused her disappearance. We would like to know how and why." states Rigel.

Garet quite confused says "You k ..know each o..other?"

"That's quite an accusation...if I could just have a look at your evidence, then I'll be sure that employee is dealt with swiftly," says Isolde, her words rolling out like smoke from a pipe. "Are you certain that Vanzaren didn't kill her and hide her body? That's been known to happen on occasion, you know..."

(OOC: @Rigel - please give me a CHA (Intimidation) roll.)

"No Garet, I don't," replies Rigel as he turns his head a bit to speak over his shoulder  "but it doesn't mean we shouldn't be cordial." Going back to Isolde he says, "That is true but whatever may have happened in the past is of no importance now. Vanzaren has more than made up for any transgressions. Now as for our evidence, we have the doll, show her Marcon, and a witness. I'm not telling you their name since I don't know that you won't remove them and cover for you stooge, then call us liars. But in addition to our shop keepers disappearance a young boy as also been taken by a magician here. We would like to ask him some questions as well. "

Intimidation: 19

"I haven't killed anyone here," Vanzaren says. "And just so we're on the same page, I dont plan on staying here. Just put these people back where they belong and move on. No one in this town deserves to trapped here."

Marcon, who had initially been taken aback by the Eladrin's sudden appearance, still looked thoughtful and distracted since then, murmuring something along the lines of "Is that a euphemism" at some point. But eventually, he seemed to finally find the plot again as he looked up sharply upon hearing his name. That is, for the most part at least. With a brow raised , he shoots Vanzaren, Rigel, and even Garet furtive glances before finally looking to Isolda. "Uh.. yea, uh... yea, all those things. And also, uhm... this is a bit off topic, but... do you have last name, Mam?" He asked while showing the doll to Isolda.

(OOC: Rigel's intimidation check is contested by Isolde's WIS (Insight): 9)

Isolde regards Rigel's words as truthful and not just bluff and bluster. "I see," she says thoughtfully, pausing as if to consider her next words carefully. "I do sincerely apologize if anyone in my employ has caused you distress. Sometimes their acts of wonderment and whimsey can exceed the audience's comprehension of what is possible...harmless illusions all, I assure you..." CHA (Deception) check: 7

(OOC: no one is fooled by Isolde's attempt at social misdirection, they see right through her blatant lie.)

Ronks eyes move from Isolde to the others then back to Isolde a few times, a confused looks on his face, and takes a small step back, into Harlan.

Ronk, a 7-foot tall bugbear, steps on Harlan's toes as he backs up, eliciting a pained wince from the circus man, who was trying his best to not be noticed.

"And who have we here?" says Isolde feigning ignorance, as she sidesteps a few paces to get a better look at the man standing behind Ronk. "Ah, Harlan, there you are. It seems we've been missing each other these past few years. I'd sent messengers to summon you, but it seems none of them ever returned. Have you locked them away in one of your little pocket dimensions?"

 (@Crow: I think Marcon might miss it, since I got disadvantage on skills from exhaustion and the whole -5 penalties there for passive skills. Though, happy to be wrong or be given a free pass for the 1. ^_^;)

Marcon sighed then muttered under his breath, only to perk up and cant his head to the side. "Pocket dimensions?" He questioned. "What she talk'n 'bout?" He added, looking more directly at Harley for at least moment. But he's quick to cut back to Isode and add, "Also! Mam. With all do respect, and, uh, contrary to what'cha might think of some of us, we weren't born yesterday. So, none of this smoke 'n mirrors, please? You 'n us both know those harmless tricks are anything but. Ain't that right, Ronk?"

"I agree with the gentleman, lets not waste time with petty word games. Are you going to take us to those we seek or not? If not then we'll just continue to look on our own." Rigel states flatly. 

Intimidation (I'm assuming I need one): 17

Garet silently stands within the group holding father armor in his hands

Vanzaren continues, "Isolde, you need to let all these people go. Send the boy back to his mother, properly and without tricks. And put the women back in her shop, also without tricks. What are you conviced they've done anyways?"

"Persistent and direct, I admire that," says Isolde. "But it would seem you are hardly in a position to be making demands. It would also seem that you believe you have identified the true intent of my...business. Where shall we start? How about with Linene Greywind, hmm? She appears to you as a harmless old shopkeeper, but did you know that she is in fact a war criminal? Yes, instead of merely holding prisoners of war, she thought it better to torture them. Hundreds of them. And next to young Carp...a playful child for sure, but his playing with matches can be blamed for numerous forest fires that devastated sacred lands and claimed the lives of an entire bloodline of ghostwise halflings. And..." she looks at Garet holding his father's breastplate, "your father is a common thief, which isn't that terrible by most people's standards, but did you know he sold armor to an army who later perished due to its shoddy craftsmanship? Do you see now why these people don't deserve to share the same plane of existence as you? How dangerous they are?"

"Now, tell me again why these people deserve any mercy and I might let you bargain for their lives..."

CHA (Persuasion): 9

"You can take your twisted sense of justice and shove it up your ass," Vanzaren says. "People make mistakes and then they spend the rest of their lives working to correct them."