Rurisa quirks one eyebrow quizzically and shakes her head, not understanding. She motions towards her greatsword with a questioning expression.
Trevor sighs and sneaks back to the group. I heard two people in there, do you wish to charge in with drawn blades or another way?
"Did it sound like an ambush? If not I'd prefer to announce ourselves."
Vokrin nods, relieved because he's not particularly stealthy. He's very good at looming quietly in the background, but not particularly sneaky or good at remaining hidden.
Two women speaking quietly. I do not believe there is an ambush.
Cimri nods, "Sounds like Immona and Olla are still up. They're likely being quiet to let their mom sleep, though I doubt old Estabeth can hear too well anyways."
Plan decided Cimri takes everyone up to the door, the sounds of multiple feet on floorboards quieting the sounds of talking. Cimri knocks and steps back allowing someone else to take the front.
A pair of middle-aged women open the door looking curiously out. When they see the red sashes with the Archbaron's crest on them they quickly exit and shut the door behind them. "How can we help you this night?" one of them, with more gray in her hair than her sister, asks.
"Apologies for the timing of our arrival, but we just spoke with Miss Caswalla Runder and she directed us to your basement. We'll need to take a look, shouldn't take more than a few minutes."
"Oh. Well let me introduce myself, I'm Immona," says the one with more silver in her hair.
"And I'm Olla," continues the other sister. She opens the door quietly and snags a key from a side table. They lead you down the stairs and into the shop proper where goods line the aisles up and down the store. Olla leads you behind the counter and the till to a small trapdoor which she pulls open revealing a set of steps going downstairs.
Immona lights a lantern and hands it to Olla who descends. Amid stacks of produce and goods there is a small writing table with an inkwell and a quill whose nub has nearly been rubbed down entirely. A detailed sketch of the Angel Knight's helmet rests under a paperweight and a small stack of flyers has already been made up for later distribution.
"Oh my," Immona gasps. "Well that explains what Cass was doing down here so often." She looks back to Rurisa and the rest of you, "I take it she's gotten into some kind of trouble with these?"
Penance watched the ladies closely, looking for acute signs of deceit. There was a certain level of understanding at having unexpected visitors at this time of the night, but was there more to it than that? Could they be involved?
"Oh dear. I'm afraid all of this will have to he confiscated as evidence. And Ms. Cass is going to have a stiff penalty to pay. I don't suppose either of you knew about this before now, did you? I only ask because if you do and are willing to cooperate, things would go much easier for everyone involved. If you are concealing information, well, that would be extremely detrimental for everyone."
"We are not here to disrupt Longacre. We are here to keep the peace, and this Angel Knight seems to be inciting our fair citizens into a frenzy. If this Angel Knight is too much a coward to face the authorities and pay for their crimes, then I ask you, why should our citizens?"
Olla shakes her head as Immona steps away from the desk, "Cass is one of our best grocers and has been working here for years. We give her some leeway because of it and never expected anything like this to come up."
"She did all of this by hand?" Rurisa mutters, wandering around the basement. Turning back to Olla and Immona, "Thank you for your cooperation, and I apologize again for the intrusion. We'll need to gather up most of these materials, take a statement from you, and then return to the jailhouse. We'll assess Cass a fine and she should be released sometime tomorrow morning."
Rurisa then begins to gather up sheafs of paper, ink, etc. before briefly assisting in the search for anything more damning.
Trevor checks papers and boxes and under the desk surface.
Vokrin looks on and listens, peering about interestedly as they go into the basement for anything that might be contraband. Quietly to Rurisa, he mentions anything he sees but also, "I do not think we should harass them, it might cause more strife than we need."
Cimri helps everyone search or other materials and comes up empty. She observes the statements given by Olla and Immona and helps carry everything back to the jail. "Well, it's been one hell of a night, but I think I'm hoofing it back to Ash House and passing out. Anyone else with me?"
Rurisa checks in on the deputies and Caggan--and gives the Cass the bad news that she'll be staying overnight--then retires to the Ash House as well.
Trevor makes sure no one has any lingering injuries and then retires as well.
The next day arrives with few people knowing what has transpired in the night. Cimri is happy to report the events to Razelgo, who is supremely pleased with your efforts and asks that you continue as you have been before sending you on your way to the jail, your defacto headquarters.
Along the way everything seems peaceful, no signs of unrest, no new graffiti, all the posters taken down. It seems today will be quite peaceful, Cimri saying as much as you walk into the doors of the jail.
Ertha and the others arrive moments after you and go about making a pot of coffee filling the jail with its heady aroma. The deputies look to you and ask, "What do we have planned for today?"
Trevor makes the coffee and serves the others as they discuss what they will be doing.
"For my day? Not much, we need to scrape together enough coin over the next few days to pay off the apothecary's loans, and tonight I was planning to make a big display of Caggan's wereboar transformation, then take the you three out on the taverns and pick up the tab. First things first though, I'm sending you back out to tell the good people of Longacre about Caggan's monstrous nature."
Vokrin listens to Rurisa, nodding as she speaks. "If we plan to see justice done, announcing a public trial and execution may very well be just what we need to quell these Angel Knight murmurings, and that could be the news of the day. We should also announce the arrest and questioning of individuals with ties to this seditious movement. While it isn't always wise to show our hand, at this time the benefits of transparency and the public's support are more important than stealth and secrecy."
The deputies all nod and prep their things before heading out to spread the word. Cimri looks askance of Vokrin, "Who do we know with ties to the movement? We still don't have any leads, just a bunch of fans, at least one of whom is dead."
"Nonsense, Cimri, Kels left town on some flight of fancy of his I'm sure."
Rurisa retrieves the cell keys and goes to check on Caggan, then to release Cass. "We've confiscated your equipment and we're placing you on a probation in addition to a 5gp fine--if we catch you engaging in seditious activities again you'll spend a month or more in the cells." Rurisa fixes the halfling with a stern but not hostile eye. "Again, Miss Rundar, we're not the villains of this tale. Sign here, then you're free to go. You have one week to pay the fine."
That done, the Hellrazor wanders back into the main room. "Are there any leads we're forgetting that we should run down? If not I'd like to discuss our plans regarding Caggan--what do we tell the townsfolk, and what do we do with him once his monstrous form has been revealed? Are there any recent murders we could pin on him? Some tavern regulars who could testify to his monthly absences? I'm open to any and all suggestions/"
"Do we really think Cass acted alone? It seems an awful lot of work for a slip with a full time job..." Penance let the words hang in the air a bit before continuing.
He turned and began to pace, hands crossed behind his back.
"How did she get the idea? What would possess her to go to such lengths? How does she know what the helm looks like? I fear there is more that Cass is not sharing with us. There would be no harm in staking out Olla and Immona's. Even if they are innocent in all this, someone may come to contact Cass."
"So before the curfew, people would gather at Caggen's. With that no longer an option, where would they go now. Assuming that they are still congregating, there must be another locale to their liking."
"And then there is the apothecary. We could head around town, asking for donations in support, gathering information at the same time."
Trevor finishes his tea. Unfortunately he had little to add being a newcomer.
Cimri nods, "Right, right. Wanted to blank his whearabouts from memory, slimy man he was."
Caggan is sullen in his chains and manacles. As Rurisa looks in on him he lifts his head just a bit, "Not going to let me out of these are you?" before dropping it to the floor once more.
Caswalla is huddled on the small bunk in the cell with a working door and is quiet, but follows Rurisa after giving Bolgart a confused look. She is quiet, and signs before heading out the door and towards the grocery store.
Cimri is drawn back into the conversation listening to Penance. "Can't say anything against what you've got figured. It is a bit weird, but we do have at least two people finding information for us. The first, our man on the docks, who will probably be by when we get our pay. The second, our original employer, who's keeping his ear to the ground I'm sure."
"I don't much like playing the panhandler. If we want to hurt the apothecary less we could waive some taxes, begging for coin will only make us look pathetic." Vokrin says, with distaste and bile surging in his gullet. "Asking the poor to pay more to support this service will hurt us two ways, and I won't be party to it."
Cimri cracks her neck and stretches out her body, "Well if we're not going to be asking for money should we look around town for more leads until tonight?"
"I wasn't suggesting begging," the mercenary mutters. "I dislike this lack of leads, but Hell willing something will turn up. In the meantime it won't hurt to wander the town and let Longacre see their heroic defenders."
You begin patrolling the streets and find very little in the way of discontent. Where just a day or so before there was graffiti and mutterings for the Glorious Reclamation your actions have quashed these. As the deputies make their way around the town it seems they haven't been telling the people what exactly to expect and the sense of anticipation as the sun begins setting is palpable.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Rurisa urges the deputies to gather the people of Longacre at the town square, and even throws a few silver at some local youths to speed the process. As evening falls she hauls Caggan out of his cell by his his manacles, laying him at the center of the square and keeping the townsfolk at a safe distance. "People of Longacre!" she cries as full dark settles. "You know who we are--many in this town whisper that we are the Archbaron's boot upon your collective throat, the blade at your back, agents of your misery! We have been striving to prove that a vile lie from the would-be traitors and rebels of the Glorious Revolution! Like the Archbaron himself, we desire nothing more than security and strength for Longacre and Cheliax, to keep you safe from the monsters that would tear down our great nation! Many of these monsters wear the faces of your friends and compatriots...like the monster we all knew as Caggan. This one, who we thought our fellow citizen, is in fact a creature of the night, a bloodthirsty beast under the light of the full moon! CAGGAN IS A WEREBOAR!!"
Trevor stands by, keeping a watch on Craggon
As Rurisa began her speech, Penance continued walking along the front of the crowd. In keeping with their efforts to protect the fair citizens of Longacre from all threats, he needed to make sure none got close enough to be mauled by the monster. Caggen had managed to burst free of his jail cell, surely he could free himself of the manacles if he really wanted to.
Rurisa's words began slowly, and Penance began passing out silver coins to the less fortunate looking members of the crowd. He smiled and tried to convey a sincere sense of empathy, but in truth it was all for show. His real purpose was to be near the crowd. Once Rurisa declared Caggen's true identify, he exclaimed " nooo!" in feigned disbelief and shock, hoping to get others in the crowd to follow his lead.
The crowd gasps and concern grows as Caggan doesn't deny the claims. His manacled form draws some worried murmurs, but they quickly die down as the sun fully drops behind the horizon.
The night is dark as clouds scud across the sky blocking out the stars above. They break and allow moonlight to flood the square, giving everyone a pale white glow.
Sweat breaks across Caggan's brow and he grunts, muscles stretching beneath his skin, but he doesn't begin shifting. He only just manages to push out through his lips, "Ha...That...the...best...you...got?"
This isn't turning out very well.
Cimri shimies over to Penance and Rurisa and whispers, "Do we know of any way to force a change or do we just wait and make him lose his concentration on keeping his form?"
Trevor mutters and sends whispers into Caggan's ears
Caggan grits out a laugh, "Already got hit with that once. Next." Sweat is pouring off his brow but he remains steady.
"You don't look so good, Caggan, for a man just lying there. Do you deny before all these people that you are a werebeast?"
Caggan scoffs, as much as he is able to at least, "Of course I deny it. I'm just feeling a bit under the weather, no doubt thanks to your gentle-handling." The crowd begins growing restless as their expectations rise...
Vokrin whispers to the man's ear, "You are merely afraid that once you change we will put you down for good rather than our mercy thus far. You are a danger to this town, you are a despicable monster, and unlike me you will not see the light of another day." Vokrin ponders briefly.