He stares at the burlap sacks, then at Kaz. "We have agreed to all of your terms, and now you pile on more? Perhaps the most odious!"
"You ask that we blindly -- literally! -- hand ourselves over to you and be taken to an unknown location at which point we have no guarantee whatsoever on what will happen?" He waits a moment, brows furrowed looking to his companions to make sure they are in agreement, that h has not misunderstood.
He draws a deep breath and stares at Kaz, shaking his head slowly. "Look...this kind of magic is not something that needs a special place, or a very special person -- assuming that you have been truthful and that all you want is to ensure the truth of our answers."
"Bring your arcanist or priest here, or any other place you name, and we will comply. Or suggest an alternative."
Hearing that they've been around for a while, Usul looks up to add, "Perhaps you can help with information then. Though the coin," as he pats his chest where the pouch is now neatly hidden, "and treasure is nice. We need to find someone." He then quickly pulls out his dagger* and stabs it into the table, slowly carving the symbol he'd been shown the evening before, causing small bits of ice to form and quickly melt away as he carves. "Nothing is free of course, so I don't expect a full answer. Just tell me if you know of this group for now."
* if memory serves, the dagger was from all the watcher's stuff. not something from the manor that this group would have been looking for. Though Usul kind of wants to flash the cool dagger, if he thinks it's something that they would have been looking for he'd use a normal dagger instead.
If nothing else is offered Silthras says to Kaz, "Are you really worried that I'll think you are crazy? After all this..." he waves his arms to encompass the room. "That horse bolted long ago." he says with a grin. "Try me. I've heard a lot of crazy talk recently, it's starting to feel normal. Or..." he cocks an eyebrow at Velyra, "...let us ask a few questions of our own first, just to break the ice?"
"Aiee, I knew that would not go over well." Kaz says as Silthras begins to let his exasperation show. He waves the other man away, who quietly takes his exit from the room with the sacks. "Was worth a shot though." For a moment he seems at a loss, then gestures around the room with his hands. "Look. There are some places that are more protected from prying eyes than others. Places that time and effort to make immune to methods of magical detection and spying." He looks around the room. "This is not such a place. But we have such a place."
He looks like he might make further argument when Usul cuts in, carving the symbol you all saw earlier into the table. Kaz looks bewildered for a moment at the sudden interjection, but his face grows quite grave as he leans over to look at the carving. "Where are you seeing this symbol?" He asks quietly, looking up from the table to Usul. "Here? In the city?"
Turning around, he looks to the man directly behind him. "Do they truly not know what this is?" The man's head shifts slightly as he first looks to Usul, then the rest of you. After a moment of inspection he shrugs. Kaz turns back around, looking despaired.
He shakes his hands in the air, waving away Silthras' suggestions. "Forget the questioning. That can be settled later. I understand you have worries that this may be trap. But if I may simply cut to point..." He snaps to one of the other men behind him, who opens the door fully. Out in the tavern common room, you can see at least ten other masked men spread about, light crossbows in hand. "You have already agreed to meet at a place where we are advantaged, you maybe just did not know it." He waves his hand in the air, dismissing the scene.
"But that is unimportant for now." He points down to the mark on the table, looking to Usul again. "This is the mark of an old evil. Worse than the thing you encountered in Feycrest. A creature of shadow and chaos and lies."
"Take me to where you find this. Do that, and we can discuss alternatives afterwards."
Silthras snorts, "We knew we were walking into your territory from the start. It's the fact you wanted to take us even deeper that really bothered me. Ordinarily that does not bode well."
He looks carefully through the door as it opens, eager to find an unmasked face, preferably attached to a hand wearing a ring of the type these people wear. As the door shuts again, he focuses on Kaz and listens with interest. Getting away from a small private army, and back to a public space in the merchant's quarter. Hmmm. Let me think about it...
"We'd happily show you; anything you know about them would also be appreciated."
He pulls out his kerchief to dab a small line of sweat that had appeared on his brow, before polishing his breastplate and replacing it in his sleeve.
Kal peeks outside the door as it opens, eyebrows shooting up at the sight of all the armed men outside. They had been careless, but privately he wondered if they could have fought their way out if it came down to it. Thankfully, it appeared it wouldn't come to that.
With all of these people now in sight, he flares his Divine Sense to check for undead.
"Ah well, problems for later." Kaz says, waving away Silthras concerns. "First I need to see this for myself, then we will talk." He begins to leave the room, heading towards the front door of the tavern. None of his men move to follow, as you suspected. While he can pass as a regular person outside, a bunch of armed men in masks would be conspicuous.
While Kaz moves out of this room, Kal opens his awareness to detect forces of powerful good and evil. As soon as he does he is caught by a brilliant golden radiance being thrown off the man who had stood directly behind Kaz. It shines like a miniature sun being lit in the room, and a deafening Celestial power rings in his ears for the full six seconds that the sense is active, leaving him stunned as it fades.
Having just stood up when he triggered the Divine Sense, Kal staggers backwards as the sheer force of the Celestial presence takes him by surprise. Instinctively he throws up an arm to shield his eyes, squinting through the brightness. After the moment passes and the radiance fades, he lowers his arm slowly. Gears turn in his mind. They've been chasing their tails, and now a clear answer stood before them, just like that.
"Silthras." He says, drawing a shaky breath as he tries to blink away the bright spots. "I don't think we need to worry about these people. That one isn't even human, he's something divine. Gods. If they wanted us dead I think he could just turn us to ash."
Silthras just stares at Kal. The knight had been nothing but a calming and clear presence from the moment they met. When he spoke, it usually mattered, and he was not prone to flights of fancy. If anything, Silthras found him a little dull: The words 'solid' and 'dependable' came to mind. But he also had useful talents: Like the ability to sense the true nature of things around him. It had uncovered much in their travels. Why hadn't he thought of asking the knight to use it sooner?
Seeing the stricken knight falter, Silthras tries to support him, and finds his gaze reluctantly turned back towards Kaz, "What him? Seriously?" The incredulity drips from each word. "I assumed he was just a mouthpiece, and his master -- whichever way they dressed -- was elsewhere, watching like Calmaius."
As they begin to walk Usul steps quickly to keep up with Kaz to explain, saying, "We were asked to find someone who disappeared, and the only lead so far has been that symbol. Though... we never thought it would be connected..."Taking a breath as his short legs keep up with the man suddenly in a rush, Usul whistles for Mud who had been sitting outside the pub and bounds up between the men for Usul to hop up on, bringing him up to about shoulder height instead of thigh. He then adds, "We've been on a look out for the symbol, and spotted one this morning just in the Greystone." Riding along he then holds up a hand and Dib appears in it, blinking and sniffing at the air, immediately scampering over to Usul's shoulders, who for the next few seconds, while riding on Muad, mentally connects with his weasel companion and then says, "Dib was watching the house for us!"He then relays what, if anything, Dib had noticed over the time they'd been gone.
Kaz didn't seem to notice what was going on with the knight, already out into the tavern common room by the time he called Silthras over. Others in the room had also begun to move out. The Celestial almost certainly noticed the reaction, as he never seemed to stop watching the four of you while you were in the room. As you all walk past, his gaze follows, but he says nothing still. As you all leave the tavern, the rest of the men stay behind, leaving you alone with Kaz.
Up ahead, Kaz looks down as Usul appears beside him, filling in more details. "If your friend has disappeared because of involvement with whatever group is responsible for this symbol, I am afraid you may need to prepare for worst case scenarios. Life has a rude way of connecting things you would wish otherwise." He says, the carefree tone completely gone from his voice now. "In past, cults and other groups have been unwittingly co-opted by this evil before. Tel'n'avae is not called the Living Lie for no reason."
After arriving back at the marked house in the Greystone Ward, Kaz bends down to get a closer look at it. "Without doubt, that is the treacherous crown of Tel'n'avae." You didn't spend a whole lot of time in the next ward over. It's a little after midday at this point, and Dib watched the house diligently. No one came in or out, nor did he see any movement in the windows. "This group, do you know why they are leaving the mark? Do they have plans for this building?" Kaz asks, now about eye level with Usul since he's crouched down.
Silthras is struck by the name, it is very reminiscent of another. "Tel'n'avae ... " he speaks the unfamiliar syllables slowly. "...I'm no linguist, but does that have any relation to kor'Ahnvae?"
"This group, do you know why they are leaving the mark? Do they have plans for this building?" Kaz asks, now about eye level with Usul since he's crouched down.
"That's what we thought..."Usul says, still surprised about this revelation, and processing what he's hearing. "We were told this was on a house before it was hit, and then after the symbol was scratched off. But we haven't had time to check ourselves yet."
Kal shakes his head, lower his voice as they walk."It wasn't Kaz. It was one of his men back there. The one standing directly behind him. Tell you more later."
When they get back into the Greystone Ward, he makes himself scarce while the others discuss the mark. He'll keep his eyes open on their surroundings, checking to make sure no one is taking a keen interest in them.
Silthras laughs, "You can't be serious!"
He stares at the burlap sacks, then at Kaz. "We have agreed to all of your terms, and now you pile on more? Perhaps the most odious!"
"You ask that we blindly -- literally! -- hand ourselves over to you and be taken to an unknown location at which point we have no guarantee whatsoever on what will happen?" He waits a moment, brows furrowed looking to his companions to make sure they are in agreement, that h has not misunderstood.
He draws a deep breath and stares at Kaz, shaking his head slowly. "Look...this kind of magic is not something that needs a special place, or a very special person -- assuming that you have been truthful and that all you want is to ensure the truth of our answers."
"Bring your arcanist or priest here, or any other place you name, and we will comply. Or suggest an alternative."
Hearing that they've been around for a while, Usul looks up to add, "Perhaps you can help with information then. Though the coin," as he pats his chest where the pouch is now neatly hidden, "and treasure is nice. We need to find someone." He then quickly pulls out his dagger* and stabs it into the table, slowly carving the symbol he'd been shown the evening before, causing small bits of ice to form and quickly melt away as he carves. "Nothing is free of course, so I don't expect a full answer. Just tell me if you know of this group for now."
* if memory serves, the dagger was from all the watcher's stuff. not something from the manor that this group would have been looking for. Though Usul kind of wants to flash the cool dagger, if he thinks it's something that they would have been looking for he'd use a normal dagger instead.
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Silthras stares at Syl, a look of confusion plain on his face, "Not a good idea. It's not a question about what we have to hide."
If nothing else is offered Silthras says to Kaz, "Are you really worried that I'll think you are crazy? After all this..." he waves his arms to encompass the room. "That horse bolted long ago." he says with a grin. "Try me. I've heard a lot of crazy talk recently, it's starting to feel normal. Or..." he cocks an eyebrow at Velyra, "...let us ask a few questions of our own first, just to break the ice?"
28
"Aiee, I knew that would not go over well." Kaz says as Silthras begins to let his exasperation show. He waves the other man away, who quietly takes his exit from the room with the sacks. "Was worth a shot though." For a moment he seems at a loss, then gestures around the room with his hands. "Look. There are some places that are more protected from prying eyes than others. Places that time and effort to make immune to methods of magical detection and spying." He looks around the room. "This is not such a place. But we have such a place."
He looks like he might make further argument when Usul cuts in, carving the symbol you all saw earlier into the table. Kaz looks bewildered for a moment at the sudden interjection, but his face grows quite grave as he leans over to look at the carving. "Where are you seeing this symbol?" He asks quietly, looking up from the table to Usul. "Here? In the city?"
Turning around, he looks to the man directly behind him. "Do they truly not know what this is?" The man's head shifts slightly as he first looks to Usul, then the rest of you. After a moment of inspection he shrugs. Kaz turns back around, looking despaired.
He shakes his hands in the air, waving away Silthras' suggestions. "Forget the questioning. That can be settled later. I understand you have worries that this may be trap. But if I may simply cut to point..." He snaps to one of the other men behind him, who opens the door fully. Out in the tavern common room, you can see at least ten other masked men spread about, light crossbows in hand. "You have already agreed to meet at a place where we are advantaged, you maybe just did not know it." He waves his hand in the air, dismissing the scene.
"But that is unimportant for now." He points down to the mark on the table, looking to Usul again. "This is the mark of an old evil. Worse than the thing you encountered in Feycrest. A creature of shadow and chaos and lies."
"Take me to where you find this. Do that, and we can discuss alternatives afterwards."
Silthras snorts, "We knew we were walking into your territory from the start. It's the fact you wanted to take us even deeper that really bothered me. Ordinarily that does not bode well."
He looks carefully through the door as it opens, eager to find an unmasked face, preferably attached to a hand wearing a ring of the type these people wear. As the door shuts again, he focuses on Kaz and listens with interest. Getting away from a small private army, and back to a public space in the merchant's quarter. Hmmm. Let me think about it...
"We'd happily show you; anything you know about them would also be appreciated."
He pulls out his kerchief to dab a small line of sweat that had appeared on his brow, before polishing his breastplate and replacing it in his sleeve.
"After you" he says.
Kal peeks outside the door as it opens, eyebrows shooting up at the sight of all the armed men outside. They had been careless, but privately he wondered if they could have fought their way out if it came down to it. Thankfully, it appeared it wouldn't come to that.
With all of these people now in sight, he flares his Divine Sense to check for undead.
(( @DM: For future reference -- just in case ;-) -- how sturdy are the walls of the room? Silthras managed to bash a couple.))
"Ah well, problems for later." Kaz says, waving away Silthras concerns. "First I need to see this for myself, then we will talk." He begins to leave the room, heading towards the front door of the tavern. None of his men move to follow, as you suspected. While he can pass as a regular person outside, a bunch of armed men in masks would be conspicuous.
While Kaz moves out of this room, Kal opens his awareness to detect forces of powerful good and evil. As soon as he does he is caught by a brilliant golden radiance being thrown off the man who had stood directly behind Kaz. It shines like a miniature sun being lit in the room, and a deafening Celestial power rings in his ears for the full six seconds that the sense is active, leaving him stunned as it fades.
Having just stood up when he triggered the Divine Sense, Kal staggers backwards as the sheer force of the Celestial presence takes him by surprise. Instinctively he throws up an arm to shield his eyes, squinting through the brightness. After the moment passes and the radiance fades, he lowers his arm slowly. Gears turn in his mind. They've been chasing their tails, and now a clear answer stood before them, just like that.
"Silthras." He says, drawing a shaky breath as he tries to blink away the bright spots. "I don't think we need to worry about these people. That one isn't even human, he's something divine. Gods. If they wanted us dead I think he could just turn us to ash."
Silthras just stares at Kal. The knight had been nothing but a calming and clear presence from the moment they met. When he spoke, it usually mattered, and he was not prone to flights of fancy. If anything, Silthras found him a little dull: The words 'solid' and 'dependable' came to mind. But he also had useful talents: Like the ability to sense the true nature of things around him. It had uncovered much in their travels. Why hadn't he thought of asking the knight to use it sooner?
Seeing the stricken knight falter, Silthras tries to support him, and finds his gaze reluctantly turned back towards Kaz, "What him? Seriously?" The incredulity drips from each word. "I assumed he was just a mouthpiece, and his master -- whichever way they dressed -- was elsewhere, watching like Calmaius."
"But all along it's Kaz? Are you sure?"
As they begin to walk Usul steps quickly to keep up with Kaz to explain, saying, "We were asked to find someone who disappeared, and the only lead so far has been that symbol. Though... we never thought it would be connected..." Taking a breath as his short legs keep up with the man suddenly in a rush, Usul whistles for Mud who had been sitting outside the pub and bounds up between the men for Usul to hop up on, bringing him up to about shoulder height instead of thigh. He then adds, "We've been on a look out for the symbol, and spotted one this morning just in the Greystone." Riding along he then holds up a hand and Dib appears in it, blinking and sniffing at the air, immediately scampering over to Usul's shoulders, who for the next few seconds, while riding on Muad, mentally connects with his weasel companion and then says, "Dib was watching the house for us!" He then relays what, if anything, Dib had noticed over the time they'd been gone.
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Silthras looks down at Usul on his loyal mount. "Did you not also say it's connected with a gang of some kind?"
"That's what we heard. Yes." Usul says, nodding in agreement.
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Kaz didn't seem to notice what was going on with the knight, already out into the tavern common room by the time he called Silthras over. Others in the room had also begun to move out. The Celestial almost certainly noticed the reaction, as he never seemed to stop watching the four of you while you were in the room. As you all walk past, his gaze follows, but he says nothing still. As you all leave the tavern, the rest of the men stay behind, leaving you alone with Kaz.
Up ahead, Kaz looks down as Usul appears beside him, filling in more details. "If your friend has disappeared because of involvement with whatever group is responsible for this symbol, I am afraid you may need to prepare for worst case scenarios. Life has a rude way of connecting things you would wish otherwise." He says, the carefree tone completely gone from his voice now. "In past, cults and other groups have been unwittingly co-opted by this evil before. Tel'n'avae is not called the Living Lie for no reason."
After arriving back at the marked house in the Greystone Ward, Kaz bends down to get a closer look at it. "Without doubt, that is the treacherous crown of Tel'n'avae." You didn't spend a whole lot of time in the next ward over. It's a little after midday at this point, and Dib watched the house diligently. No one came in or out, nor did he see any movement in the windows. "This group, do you know why they are leaving the mark? Do they have plans for this building?" Kaz asks, now about eye level with Usul since he's crouched down.
Silthras is struck by the name, it is very reminiscent of another. "Tel'n'avae ... " he speaks the unfamiliar syllables slowly. "...I'm no linguist, but does that have any relation to kor'Ahnvae?"
"That's what we thought..." Usul says, still surprised about this revelation, and processing what he's hearing. "We were told this was on a house before it was hit, and then after the symbol was scratched off. But we haven't had time to check ourselves yet."
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Kal shakes his head, lower his voice as they walk. "It wasn't Kaz. It was one of his men back there. The one standing directly behind him. Tell you more later."
When they get back into the Greystone Ward, he makes himself scarce while the others discuss the mark. He'll keep his eyes open on their surroundings, checking to make sure no one is taking a keen interest in them.
(( In the past ))
Silthras nods, remembering the one that Kaz seemed to defer to for truth-sensing. That makes things a little easier.