Karib stares at his bowl after the gnome pulls the bone from the gruel. A flicker of disgust crosses his face but is masked quickly and he easily resists the urge to look over at the cultists.
Drawing a deep breath he rubs his stomach is if uncomfortable then puts his bowl to one side. If there was one thing that had been drummed into him in his years of watching and listening and talking it was that nothing should be taken at face value. So he watches with interest as the others look go through their own bowls. It would not have been hard for the gnome to add the bone herself. He examines the other bowls closely.
"Finished lad?" he asks, holding his hand out to Rogram and pointing at the bowl. He then walks back to the wagon and examines it as well.
((Assuming the consensus by the end of the day is that there were bones to be found ))
Karib laughs at the gnome's remark. "Rogram? This is a quiet day!" he says with a smile. "He's been a bit subdued of late."
As they discuss searching the wagon, Karib looks up, his mind mulling over possibilities. "They are on guard and ... clearly ... will look out for us, but there are other ways to look in the wagon. With Gond's aid I may be able to see ... or hear ... inside."
"Well then, aren't you special," Jamna smirks. "If it means we keep our cover and get to know what's in there, then I'm all for it - but, my hunch is that it's nothing more than what you've already seen. They're amassing treasure, but for what?" She thinks a moment, looking off into the distance.
"Did you notice the fellow that's hitched a ride with them? The one doing a poor job of hiding that he's a Red Wizard of Thay? Any idea why a Red Wizard is chumming it up with Cult of the Dragon members?" she asks.
For Karib:
You do find several lumps in the oatmeal that could be bone slivers like the one Jamna found, or similar to Merric's findings, possibly oat husks, sawdust, or insect eggs.
Rogram scowls and looks around at the other faces. He's never heard of Red Wizards or Thay, but he isn't ready to admit such. He makes a non-committal noise in the back of his throat, trying to match the emotions of the others.
Karib finds the whole process very troubling, and smiles weakly at Jamna's remark. No-one had tried to assassinate him before. He was used to more traditional forms of murder and mayhem. Moving, as it seems they were, into a new league of subtle violence was not to his liking. He puts the small maybe-bones into his coin purse for examination later. Or perhaps, use, he finds himself thinking with disgust.
"How is it that you knew about those bones?" he asks, then quickly follows up with, "And what interested in the Red Wizards?"
"I had a hunch," Jamna shrugs. "Communal meals are a prime opportunity for poison or other unscrupulous means of removing a target. I know a thing or two. You think these beauties are just for show?" she says, showing off her dagger and shortsword.
"And what interested in the Red Wizards?"
"You know where Thay is, right? A Red Wizard doesn't travel thousands of miles west just to see the sights. If Thay is involved with the Cult of the Dragon, that's enough to warrant some serious concern," Jamna answers.
Karib nods, "Aye. I was going to ask the same thing. I've heard of 'em, that about it though. And you still didn't say why you were interested in them."
“You haven’t said a lot actually. We’ve shared what little we know, the wagons are full of loot and we saw some of it spill on the ground. We don’t know where they are going or why, yet. What do you know about the cult? The Red Wizards?” Merric is skeptical and looks at Jamna with some distrust. “I know you were hanging around the man dressed in Red and joined the caravan in Daggerford, then you show up at our fire asking questions. Maybe you are working with them? Sharing what you know with us can go a long way.” Merric watches Jamna closely.
Rogram looks quite alarmed at Merric's words. Was he once again rushing in without thinking and endangering his friends? He scowls and puts a hand on his axe's handle, prepared to advance if the gnome doesn't have a good excuse.
"I understand the caution, but am I doing anything different than you lot?" Jamna laughs, "You know, by following them around, chatting them up at the tavern and hovering around their wagons? You may be doing a good job of posing as caravan guards to the ordinary eye, but not to these Gnomish peepers." She taps her forehead and smirks.
"I was 'hanging around' the Red Wizard only to verify my suspicions. If the robe wasn't enough, that cap he wears is a poor disguise for the tattoos on his head that mark him as such. Now, as for what I know about the Cult...I can tell you all about what they're supposed to be, which is a bunch of lunatics worshiping dead dragons and trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to bring them back to life. Alliances with outside forces, organized caravans transporting treasure, veiled secrecy - that's all new, and it's concerning.
I don't blame you for not knowing the finer details of the Red Wizards; Thay is about 2,400 miles to the east, give or take a few hundred. Thay is ruled by the iron fist of a lich named Szass Tam, and a nation ruled by undead is about as cozy as it sounds. Necromancy isn't just tolerated there, it's celebrated. Not only are Red Wizards powerful, but they dabble in arts that, here, are looked down on at best and outright banned at worst."
She pauses to let the information sink in.
"I hope that clears up my concern and my interest," she says.
Merric stands up from his barrel, slightly satisfied with Jamna’s response. “Well, we seem to be looking into the same things. You’ll have to excuse my suspicion, we found the last person who was looking into the cult buried up to his neck in the road.” Merric looks over at Rogram “He raises a good question. What now? Continue on following them to see where they are going? We’ve seen some of their cargo and the wagons are well guarded, we already checked.”
"Well, trust me, I love me a good breaking and entering as much as the next person, but I don't believe it's worth the risk at this juncture. We are awfully close to Waterdeep after all, and if we get too nosy right now and blow our cover, then we don't get to find out where they're going with all this treasure," Jamna answers.
Tapping her chin, she thinks for a few more seconds, then adds, "Yeah, I think your notion is the right one. We'll keep following them. Keep your noses down, do whatever you can to prevent them from knowing that we're onto them. The more suspicious they get, the harder it is to get to where they're going."
Jamna hops off of the keg, bowing low. "A pleasure to meet you lot. I'm sure we'll get along swell," she says before departing the scene, leaving you alone at Beyd's wagon.
Rogram raises a hand. "But they're already trying to kill us." He looks around at the others before looking back at Jamna. "And if they noticed you helping us ... "
Merric looks over to Rogram “What do you mean they are trying to kill us? Breakfast today? I am not sure that was as deadly as Jamna made it appear. It could have been anything in that oatmeal. Still we all have to be careful.” He stares after the departing gnome. “So after all that, we still just keep watching. Interesting what she said about the Red Wizards though, that’s new.”
The road from Daggerford to Waterdeep has been pleasant, to say the least. The anxious days of the Fields of the Dead, and the miserable nights in the cold downpour seem a distant memory as the caravan rolls closer and closer to the City of Splendors. The day after Jamna's introduction passes by without event. With the city only a couple days ahead, and the road wide, well-traveled, and well-guarded, it seems the last disruption of the caravan is behind you. That is, until the following morning.
The caravan awakens to an outcry. As you quickly ready for the day, you see a crowd quickly gathering by one of the assumed wagons of the Cult of the Dragon. Several of the caravan's travelers, and most of its guards, are crowded near a figure laying on the ground beneath one of the wagons.
As you draw closer, the crowd parting to make room for the caravan's guards, you see the man that Rogram first approached, near the beginning of the journey, in attempt to ingratiate himself with the Cult. The man is splayed out on his stomach, half his body below the wagon. Blood covers his back from an open wound, and it is quite clear the man is dead.
Rogram has made it a regular practice to inspect all food he receives from anyone else since the morning they met Jamna. He continues to feel responsible for the others being in danger, and he isn't sure how to make it better. He still feels like the best way to find his father is to infiltrate the Cult, but how can that be accomplished now?
The morning of the incident, the half-dwarf follows Merric toward the commotion. When he sees who it is, he leans in and says to Merry in an undertone, "I'm pretty sure he was part of the Cult. One of the ones who wasn't with the wagons. Like the woman I met at the tavern in Daggerford. Do you think Jamna had anything to do with this? Or maybe there was a disagreement between Cult members?"
Is this wagon the one we would associate with the red wizard?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Karib stares at his bowl after the gnome pulls the bone from the gruel. A flicker of disgust crosses his face but is masked quickly and he easily resists the urge to look over at the cultists.
Drawing a deep breath he rubs his stomach is if uncomfortable then puts his bowl to one side. If there was one thing that had been drummed into him in his years of watching and listening and talking it was that nothing should be taken at face value. So he watches with interest as the others look go through their own bowls. It would not have been hard for the gnome to add the bone herself. He examines the other bowls closely.
"Finished lad?" he asks, holding his hand out to Rogram and pointing at the bowl. He then walks back to the wagon and examines it as well.
RP Wisdom: 28
Perception: 24 (looking for other bones)
((Assuming the consensus by the end of the day is that there were bones to be found ))
Karib laughs at the gnome's remark. "Rogram? This is a quiet day!" he says with a smile. "He's been a bit subdued of late."
As they discuss searching the wagon, Karib looks up, his mind mulling over possibilities. "They are on guard and ... clearly ... will look out for us, but there are other ways to look in the wagon. With Gond's aid I may be able to see ... or hear ... inside."
"Well then, aren't you special," Jamna smirks. "If it means we keep our cover and get to know what's in there, then I'm all for it - but, my hunch is that it's nothing more than what you've already seen. They're amassing treasure, but for what?" She thinks a moment, looking off into the distance.
"Did you notice the fellow that's hitched a ride with them? The one doing a poor job of hiding that he's a Red Wizard of Thay? Any idea why a Red Wizard is chumming it up with Cult of the Dragon members?" she asks.
For Karib:
You do find several lumps in the oatmeal that could be bone slivers like the one Jamna found, or similar to Merric's findings, possibly oat husks, sawdust, or insect eggs.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Rogram scowls and looks around at the other faces. He's never heard of Red Wizards or Thay, but he isn't ready to admit such. He makes a non-committal noise in the back of his throat, trying to match the emotions of the others.
Karib finds the whole process very troubling, and smiles weakly at Jamna's remark. No-one had tried to assassinate him before. He was used to more traditional forms of murder and mayhem. Moving, as it seems they were, into a new league of subtle violence was not to his liking. He puts the small maybe-bones into his coin purse for examination later. Or perhaps, use, he finds himself thinking with disgust.
"How is it that you knew about those bones?" he asks, then quickly follows up with, "And what interested in the Red Wizards?"
"I had a hunch," Jamna shrugs. "Communal meals are a prime opportunity for poison or other unscrupulous means of removing a target. I know a thing or two. You think these beauties are just for show?" she says, showing off her dagger and shortsword.
"You know where Thay is, right? A Red Wizard doesn't travel thousands of miles west just to see the sights. If Thay is involved with the Cult of the Dragon, that's enough to warrant some serious concern," Jamna answers.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
OOC: Last call for responses to Jamna before moving on!
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
"What would you say to someone who ... doesn't know what a Red Wizard is?" Rogram asks meekly.
Karib nods, "Aye. I was going to ask the same thing. I've heard of 'em, that about it though. And you still didn't say why you were interested in them."
“You haven’t said a lot actually. We’ve shared what little we know, the wagons are full of loot and we saw some of it spill on the ground. We don’t know where they are going or why, yet. What do you know about the cult? The Red Wizards?” Merric is skeptical and looks at Jamna with some distrust. “I know you were hanging around the man dressed in Red and joined the caravan in Daggerford, then you show up at our fire asking questions. Maybe you are working with them? Sharing what you know with us can go a long way.” Merric watches Jamna closely.
Rogram looks quite alarmed at Merric's words. Was he once again rushing in without thinking and endangering his friends? He scowls and puts a hand on his axe's handle, prepared to advance if the gnome doesn't have a good excuse.
"I understand the caution, but am I doing anything different than you lot?" Jamna laughs, "You know, by following them around, chatting them up at the tavern and hovering around their wagons? You may be doing a good job of posing as caravan guards to the ordinary eye, but not to these Gnomish peepers." She taps her forehead and smirks.
"I was 'hanging around' the Red Wizard only to verify my suspicions. If the robe wasn't enough, that cap he wears is a poor disguise for the tattoos on his head that mark him as such. Now, as for what I know about the Cult...I can tell you all about what they're supposed to be, which is a bunch of lunatics worshiping dead dragons and trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to bring them back to life. Alliances with outside forces, organized caravans transporting treasure, veiled secrecy - that's all new, and it's concerning.
I don't blame you for not knowing the finer details of the Red Wizards; Thay is about 2,400 miles to the east, give or take a few hundred. Thay is ruled by the iron fist of a lich named Szass Tam, and a nation ruled by undead is about as cozy as it sounds. Necromancy isn't just tolerated there, it's celebrated. Not only are Red Wizards powerful, but they dabble in arts that, here, are looked down on at best and outright banned at worst."
She pauses to let the information sink in.
"I hope that clears up my concern and my interest," she says.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
OOC: One more last call for conversation with Jamna before advancing!
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Rogram relaxes. Jamna seems to be pretty forthright and trustworthy to him. "So ... we're not breaking into their wagons tonight?" he asks.
Merric stands up from his barrel, slightly satisfied with Jamna’s response. “Well, we seem to be looking into the same things. You’ll have to excuse my suspicion, we found the last person who was looking into the cult buried up to his neck in the road.” Merric looks over at Rogram “He raises a good question. What now? Continue on following them to see where they are going? We’ve seen some of their cargo and the wagons are well guarded, we already checked.”
"Well, trust me, I love me a good breaking and entering as much as the next person, but I don't believe it's worth the risk at this juncture. We are awfully close to Waterdeep after all, and if we get too nosy right now and blow our cover, then we don't get to find out where they're going with all this treasure," Jamna answers.
Tapping her chin, she thinks for a few more seconds, then adds, "Yeah, I think your notion is the right one. We'll keep following them. Keep your noses down, do whatever you can to prevent them from knowing that we're onto them. The more suspicious they get, the harder it is to get to where they're going."
Jamna hops off of the keg, bowing low. "A pleasure to meet you lot. I'm sure we'll get along swell," she says before departing the scene, leaving you alone at Beyd's wagon.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Rogram raises a hand. "But they're already trying to kill us." He looks around at the others before looking back at Jamna. "And if they noticed you helping us ... "
Merric looks over to Rogram “What do you mean they are trying to kill us? Breakfast today? I am not sure that was as deadly as Jamna made it appear. It could have been anything in that oatmeal. Still we all have to be careful.” He stares after the departing gnome. “So after all that, we still just keep watching. Interesting what she said about the Red Wizards though, that’s new.”
The road from Daggerford to Waterdeep has been pleasant, to say the least. The anxious days of the Fields of the Dead, and the miserable nights in the cold downpour seem a distant memory as the caravan rolls closer and closer to the City of Splendors. The day after Jamna's introduction passes by without event. With the city only a couple days ahead, and the road wide, well-traveled, and well-guarded, it seems the last disruption of the caravan is behind you. That is, until the following morning.
The caravan awakens to an outcry. As you quickly ready for the day, you see a crowd quickly gathering by one of the assumed wagons of the Cult of the Dragon. Several of the caravan's travelers, and most of its guards, are crowded near a figure laying on the ground beneath one of the wagons.
As you draw closer, the crowd parting to make room for the caravan's guards, you see the man that Rogram first approached, near the beginning of the journey, in attempt to ingratiate himself with the Cult. The man is splayed out on his stomach, half his body below the wagon. Blood covers his back from an open wound, and it is quite clear the man is dead.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Rogram has made it a regular practice to inspect all food he receives from anyone else since the morning they met Jamna. He continues to feel responsible for the others being in danger, and he isn't sure how to make it better. He still feels like the best way to find his father is to infiltrate the Cult, but how can that be accomplished now?
The morning of the incident, the half-dwarf follows Merric toward the commotion. When he sees who it is, he leans in and says to Merry in an undertone, "I'm pretty sure he was part of the Cult. One of the ones who wasn't with the wagons. Like the woman I met at the tavern in Daggerford. Do you think Jamna had anything to do with this? Or maybe there was a disagreement between Cult members?"
Is this wagon the one we would associate with the red wizard?