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The Well
While Zarif plays a slow and easy game, allowing him to bleed chips into the pot at a leisurely pace Sam seems to be an incredible natural and within a couple of hours has a sizable stack of coin in front of him.
Chatting with the other players it seems that most of them have little concern about Cheliax itself, they are a backwater enough colony that even if the rest of the country sees them as important they don't pay much attention to the politics of either country.
Ben however speaks of Andoran with a hint of pride, giving a mention that in his younger years he lived in Absalom and is glad to be away from the corruption of the place, even if he is 'stuck in this backwater place bilking miners for change' though that is followed but a mutter about how he seems to be the one bilked tonight.
Questions about the baron bring the rest of the table quiet and glancing towards Ben, while he simply gives a snort, his eyes turning towards the two in the corner identified as soldiers earlier, though he doesn't seem to have much more to say on the matter.
When asked about the temple of Asmodeus a few of the other players give a bit of a shiver at the idea and Ben just shrugs his shoulders a bit commenting how he's seen worse in lots of places and since the funding didn't come out of his taxes he didn't care.
One of the players sort of shamefully pipes in saying that he went there once and that the cleric there, Shiyara, gave him a blessing as part of a simple ritual that just involved naming himself and that ever since he's been finding better ore so they aren't so bad.
Dice Rolls
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The Well
"Baron runs the town so they are all his men. Damn fools started hanging around here and harassing my clients a few weeks ago. Like I can't handle my own affairs. Pah!"
The Well Perception DC:14
Sam'hain looks at Ben in slight surprise. Sounds like he makes it hard for an honest man to make a living. I only wonder, as my own employer is just such a man as you, Ben. He's here to trade and sell his wares at fair prices and without harrassment from others. Do my friend and I have anything to worry about while our boss sells his goods in town?
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The Well
The Blade
Over a few minutes of time more guards come into the tavern from outside until the room seems almost filled to standing room with the men gathered around the Captain. He can't clearly be seen any longer from where you sit, but after a moment a deep voice is heard through the crowd.
"Men, thank you for joining me in such numbers while off duty. Tonight is a bit more than the normal appreciative speech for your service so I am glad that you were all able to make it. The on duty men have already been informed that we are moving onto alert immediately. A hostile force has been spotted by our scouts approaching the city. We expect them to arrive sometime just after dawn if they maintain their speed, which means that as of this moment no one is to come into or out of the city without further notice."
"I have been assured that we will have allies against this force, but we will have to hold the walls on our own until they arrive. I have faith in your ability me. We have the high ground here. We have the defensive position and we have plenty of surprises in store for anyone who would assault us! Our patrols and postings are being increased, so expect overtime in the coming days, and men are being stationed with Smaar and Argith to ensure they operate at full capacity. If you have any chips in your gear get it to Smaar now, we are keeping his furnace going full time!"
Pausing for a moment he seems to consider, moving from more specific briefing to almost a morale booster. "I don't know what will come in these next days, whether this siege will become a battle or should our allies be able to drive off these foes, but I know there are no men I would rather stand with or trust more. I am counting on you in this time to remain vigilant for enemies both within and without who would seek to bring down our city. Prove yourselves to our baron, and we cannot fail! Now men, you are dismissed. Get some rest tonight, it promises to be a full day tomorrow."
During the Captain's speech, Liandra's sharp eyes focus not on the man speaking but on those listening, scanning the faces of the guards for any sign of a reaction that might indicate dissent.
Perception
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The Blade
Iridae
Liandra
The Well
Ben is cut off by a loud wrapping on the wall of the inn near the doorway as if someone were hammering, just as he pushes up to his feet to investigate the door swings open to a soldier standing there, calling out in a loud voice. "Citizens, by order of Baron Vendikson the town of Piren's Bluff is to be sealed as a precaution against military action. If you are a member of the militia please report to Captain Blacklock immediately for your briefing. Business may be maintained as usual within the walls of town, but passage into and out of town has been forbidden. Should you serve in a field that is deemed necessary to the defense effort you will be contacted with instructions on how you may aid your community. Otherwise, please remain off the streets as much as possible and give our soldiers a wide berth so they may fulfill their duties without trouble. Thank you for your time!"
As soon as the words are finished the people remaining in the tavern take up a bit of an uproar, tossing around ideas and trying to make guesses about what this threat might be. Most of the townsfolk begin to get up to make their way out, whether to report to this Captain or to simply tend to their own families.
Message: "He definitely has the full attention and support of his men, nobody seems to be against his words or acts like they know what's going on. The question is how receptive will he be to the Baron being a traitor?"
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Bidding goodbye to Ben, the older man gives the two a quick nod of his head, looking a bit nervous over the disturbance though whether that is from the threat of attack, soldiers in the city, or simply the likely disruption of business isn't totally clear.
As the pair cross the town as quickly as possible they can see that true to what they were told the gate and both heavy portcullis are closed and a larger number of soldiers patrol the walls than earlier as well as a number moving around town, tacking notices to the front of public buildings before entering to likely deliver similar lines to what was just heard moments before.
Entering the Conquerors Blade they find the scene a mass of soldiers, perhaps 40 of them gathered in the room with most standing and speaking among themselves. The heaviest intensity seem to be near a tall man in heavy plate armor who looks to be working to reassure the men and answer any questions they give him.
A man in outlandish outdated noble garb sits in the corner watching the procession with interests, what looks like three barmaids have gathered huddled together with fearful looks on their faces, whispering back and forth.
In the far corner of the room sits the other three, speaking quickly together in some deep discussion.
If Sam or Zarif have Knowledge Nobility DC 12
Sam and Zarif DC 18 Perception
Everyone DC 20 Perception
Sam and Zarif would recognize him from the Well.
Sam'hain leans in close to Zarif. One of the baron's men; probably high up too. Watch yourself. Then, he heads over to their companions to see what they'd found.
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Iridae suggests shyly to her comrades, W-well maybe we c-could try a little bit of t-truth and see how he reacts. Maybe that we h-heard a rumor about a t-traitor opening the g-gates? S-see what he s-says before t-telling him more?
Oh l-look, Sam'hain and Z-Zarif are b-back. W-we could ask what th-they think.
Iridae would prefer that her companions catch up the returning party members. She had started to grow more comfortable around the warm-hearted Omaz, but with all three men back she's feeling shy again.
Noticing the dirty man now above them, Omaz inclines his head to Sam'hain and Zarif as they approach the table and whispers hoping no else can over hear, "If he's a spy, he's a filthy one, but there's a fellow on the balcony who came in when you two did."
Perception
"Hmm. good catch Omaz, I'm surprised I missed that. Looks like you brought company boys."Liandra waits to see if their companions reactions indicate immediate danger.
Sam'hain grunts, but is subtle enough not to turn around and look for the man. As he nears the others, he shares their low tone to keep their words from any curious ears.
A spy for whom, the baron? The tall man in plate mail there bears the symbol of one high in the baron's forces, so it may seem that we're very much surrounded by our potential foes. Did you hear the proclamation? I think that we need to find out more from this fellow.
He tries to remain subtle as he moves closer to the mailed man, attempting to listen to the question and answer session while remaining in the background of the gathering.
"It wasn;t so much a proclamation as a declaration of a state of alert. The've observed an "enemy force" approaching and getting all avaiable soldiers ready for potential incursion. The town's on lockdown now, nobody in or out."
Omaz is flattered by Liandra's praise, and the nods to Zarif, his voice still low "He's not the only one seeking information it seems. The waitress here admited they were being encouraged to find anything 'out of the ordinary'."
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Trying to listen in on the captain doesn't reveal too much surprising. Rather than giving details of what is to come he simply seems to be assigning guards to new posts, letting them know he will ensuring orders are passed out regularly and that normal meeting schedules will be kept.
It looks like he is intending to retire back to the keep as the din of the soldiers begins to settle down.
Sam'hain shrugs as he returns to the others. Not much there. They're setting up posts; planning to fend off an invasion is what it looks like.. He leans in closer to whisper. If that spy is any indication, then we've been pegged as unusual. We'll need to tread carefully; we won't be able to do anything if we're locked away behind bars. I will go and check on Gaskar; do any of you want to come as well? Perhaps he knows more than we do about this. Even if not, maybe I can draw our spy away. .
He leans back a bit, raising his voice slightly, as if he didn't care who heard his next words. We should check on our employer. He wasn't prepared for a prolongued stay here in town. I'm not even certain that he'd have the wages to pay us for an extra day!
As he prepares to make his way across the street to the general store, Sam'hain quickly scans the room for any of the mistletoe and ribbon badges that would identify their allies.
Liandra scans the crowd as Sam'hain speaks seeking a tell tale reaction or a sign of the mistletoe indicating a contact.
Perception
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It takes all of Iridae's courage to tug timidly on the knight's sleeve. Her stammer is worse than usual when confronting his handsomeness, and overall... shiny-ness.
S-s-sir Kn-night, p-perhaps we c-c-could exch-change inform-m-mation, b-b-before sp-p-p-pl, she blushes deeply at her jumbled speech, sp-split-t-ting up ag-gain. And th-there m-may b-be a good op-p-portunity to sp-speak to the C-Captain s-soon. I th-think he m-might l-listen to y-you b-best out of all of us.
Sam'hain looks down at his sleeve, then up at Iridae, and he sighs heavily. Of course, my lady...I'm sorry for my urgency; you're right, sharing information should be our first concern. He gets in closer to Iridae, his right shoulder providing a reassuring sturdiness as it touched up against her left.
The owner of the Well has a particular distaste for the Baron, and his patrons seem to look up to him as a leader. He may be of Andoran blood, and lust for freedom flows in his veins. We... He looks ashamed. ...gambled a bit, and found that some of the Baron's men had taken a particular interest in us. There was also a quite odd man...dressed in garish colors; he seemed a bit detached when he entered the inn.
He looks to Zarif to add anything he may have missed.
Lindra couldn't help the smile that crept across her face. Seeing Irry express her opinion, especially to someone with as strong a presence as Sam'hain showed just how much her companion had grown.
"Good job keeping cover Sam," she says with a grin. "We should probably take this upstairs, and while we're at it, get the drop on the pig pen basterd that followed you in here."
Sam'hain flushes, and looks down. Yes, I'm sorry...it's not in my nature to be discreet. We should continue this upstairs.. I'll never get used to these lies...but, it's for the greater good; I must come to terms with that.
Even once in their room, Omaz stays away from the door, and speaks softly, "As Iradae has pointed out, the real question is this captain. Is he loyal to the baron, or to the people of the city? if the latter, we may be able to reason with him. Otherwise, I think he is even now assembling against Republic forces."
"I think it's a little more complicated. He probably thinks being lyal to his country is being loyal to the Baron.Which means if we can prove the Baron a traitor, we have an ally that can sway the keep's forces.....and if not, we find ourselves facing every soldier in this place."
Liandra shakes her head and chuckles as she contemplates their odds.
How, then, shall we get this captain away from the eyes and ears of the Baron's people and discover his allegience without ruining our cover? Should we ask about to discover where he works or lives? I'm sure that someone of his rank would have an office wherein we could have a more private conversation.
"Perhaps I should feign interest in joining his militia and see if that gets me some time alone with him? I am not the best at intrigue and deception, I admit, but it is an option."
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Iridae keeps a breeze whistling past their door, to make things more difficult for a would-be eavesdropper.
I-I'm really p-pretty sure the C-Captain wants to protect this town from Cheliax. (Sense Motive 20 during Captain's speech above). He d-didn't speak about the B-Baron long enough for me to know his f-feelings about him, personally. B-but I am pretty certain he is l-loyal to the town itself.
I think w-we should just sp-peak to him. M-maybe tell just p-part of the t-truth and see h-how he reacts. Without b-being seen b-by spies.
I c-can get to h-him without b-being seen. B-but I'm not a v-very g-good spokesp-person. Actually most people tend to find Iridae quite charming, but she doesn't seem to realize that.
"So does that mean that Cheliax is at the gate, or the Andorans? Would it be prudent to get a look at the forces for ourselves?"
Thinking back to what they were told on this mission, Omaz answers, "I would say odds are they are the latter."
He glances again to Iridae, "Can you cloak more than just yourself to get to the man? I don't like the idea of anyone of us exposing themselves alone to the man."
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Iridae speaks timidly to the suave Zarif from beneath her cowl.You were n-not here when the Captain was sp-peaking. He said h-hostile forces are ap-proaching. I think he m-means the Cheliax forces. And he encouraged his m-men to h-hold out until allies arrive, meaning Andorans. I d-don't think he would have sp-spoken so boldly, if he m-meant the other way around.
Unfortunately, I can only h-hide myself. And I w-wouldn't w-want to sp-speak for the group, since m-my speech is s-so t-terrible.Iridae blushes with shame, swallows, and then forces herself to continue. M-maybe a f-few of us c-could catch up to the Captain now. Maybe we c-could start off with Omaz's idea of saying we w-want to h-help the militia. If he seems w-willing to t-talk, w-we could mention we h-heard a rumor of a t-traitor, without n-naming the B-Baron. And then we'll t-take it f-from there. She looks at Sam for an instant and then quickly away. I th-think S-Sam'hain is the k-kind of m-man that the C-Captain w-would find t-t-t-t-trustworthy. Iridae was only more deeply confused by Sam's earlier attempt to be reassuring. Her speech near him has gotten worse, if anything.
Iridae looks at the dangerous twinkle in her friends eyes, and continues. M-maybe Liandra w-would want to f-follow from a d-distance, and s-see if she can c-catch that strange m-man f-following us, and...q-question him?
A little of her friends mischief has rubbed off on Iridae, and she gets a twinkle of her own. In any case, we n-need to g-give Omaz h-his room b-back soon, in case his new lady friend c-comes calling.