The door finally buckles under the weight of the combined men. You all tumble in to the pigeon coop to find the baron just releasing a bird with a message out the west window. He spins around, hearing the door open and says No! Please don't hurt me! I don't work for the slavers anymore. The message I sent was to sever our relationship. He backs away from the party towards the window he just released the bird out of.
'I don't believe you, liar."
He moves in toward the baron, trying to close any distance between them.
Moving in harmony and simultaneously with Masao, Hob closes in on the baron as well, moving to approach from the other side.
If he is a practitioner, have to stop him from signing anything.
How does Hob get me into these things? Kin thought, deperately scanning the tower for a sign of an escaping pigeon.
Samant hangs back, taking it all in.
Kin, flying high above the tower, notices a pigeon take flight towards the West, carrying a rolled up scrap of paper.
Masao moves forward so that he is directly face to face with the baron, almost nose to nose with him... and speaks: "Surrender or die, liar. This is your only warning." He threatens the baron with his scimitar, but takes no attack as of yet.
While the Baron is still unarmed from releasing the pigeon Hob closes behind him, drops his pickaxe and bear hugs the Baron
Kin, spotting the pigeon, dives on it
Staying a bit further from everyone Arwen looks around to see anything else out of normal just to make sure. Placing himself between the room and the stair Arwen will keep a lookout and listens same time to the conversation going on
Trepidation grows in the baron's eyes as Masao aggressively approaches. Hob attempts to grab the baron before he has a chance to react, but the Baron's magnificent girth makes it difficult to get a good hold.
Outside, Kin dives for the escaping pigeon, barely clipping its tail feathers, but unable to stop it as continues flying away.
Samant is waiting back as the Baron seems to already be surrendering.
The baron lifts his hands in front of his face, appearing to shield it, when a blast of searing, rainbow light shines out of his palms, directly into your faces.
Samant falls unconscious
Will Save
For a moment, the world seemed to stop but bursted back to motion. Seeing what the Baron had done Arwen rushed towards him and with high arc brought the sharp edge of glaive towards the baron
Attack Glaive Damage
A look of awe momentarily passes over Hob's face as the burst of rainbow light passes by him.
Although he had puzzled out some magic himself, and had heard tales of the great wizards, he had never before actually seen a real practitioner in action. To see such powerful magic used so quickly, so easily... Despite his distrust of the Baron, a part of him simply wants to throw himself at the Baron's feet and beg to be taken on as an apprentice.
Then he sees the light fade and Samant drop bonelessly to the ground, and the rage starts to build.
Kern staggers backward briefly...
...and collapses unconscious from the blast.
Masao strikes at the baron with his scimitar, slashing at the corpulant noble. "I hate corruption, and you are both corrupt and a liar. If you won't surrender, you will die."
Masao's scimitar sweeps across the baron's broad chest which begins bleeding profusely. He collapses to the ground, unable to muster the strength to even break his fall. His breathing is rapidly deteriorating.
Hob fumbles his belt-blade into his hand. Though no elegant weapon - sharpened to more of a chisel point, the better to cut through leather and wood, the phrase "sharp as a smith's knife" exists for a reason.
Grunting, Hob stabs forward at the Baron, runes of strength and accuracy lighting up. Though not as accomplished a practitioner as the Baron, Hob is very competent in his own field.
Kin chases the pigeon at full speed, desperately trying to catch it so he can peck it into falling.
As Baron Galdur of Piren's Bluff gurgles out his last breath, Kin is outside rapidly chasing after the pigeon with the message.
Masao leaves the Baron to his fate for a moment, expecting that he will simply bleed out, he leans down and attempts to shake Samant awake, not familiar with the duration of the spell. When that doesn't quite work, he shrugs and casts a quick detect magic on the baron, looking for any auras. He isn't interested in looting the baron for wealth per se, but for valuable magics the group has earned by taking down the corrupt official.
When Masao combs the baron's body for magic, he detects a faint aura of magic from in the baron's sleeve.
Meanwhile, the pigeon is deftly escaping from Kin's pursuit, and flies off into the distance.
Kern staggers to his feet and says Oh dear, I suppose I missed it. before tripping once again.
Hob grunts
"Well, we're fugitives now."
Then, struck by greed, and the hope that the Baron might have written down some spell that would get them out of trouble, Hob joins Masao in searching.
Hob grabs to steady Kern
"Kern. Where is the Baron's study?"
Masao reaches into the baron's sleeve and pulls out whatever has the aura on it... and turns to Samant. "Ah, good, you're recovered. That was a nasty spell the baron cast. He got both you and Kern in it. But he is no threat now." He turns to Hob, "let's hope Kin can kill that pigeon before it delivers its message to the slavers. We might still be able to save the rest of the slaves if they have no warning we are coming."
Then he holds up the one item with a magical aura for all to see. "I wonder what this is.. the baron had it. It seems to have a magical aura about it."
A dejected Kin turns back and flies towards Hob
"What sort of Aura? What are its correspondences?" Hob asks, then falls silent after then uncharacteristic five syllable word.
Upon inspection, you find the baron's spellbook and an ink vial and pen on the window. On his person, the is a wooden stick , a brass ring, an ornamental dagger, 25gp, a ruby potion, and a letter. Around the room you see merely pigeon droppings and Kern, who is just now coming to for good, hopefully.
Kern looks up and says Honestly, I don't know. I've not been invited there. Captain Shiff would know, though. He should be making his way back here now.
When he hears Hob ask Kern about the baron's study, he nods sagely. Good question, we might find information about the slavers there, not to mention this wizard's spellbook. Ah never mind, the book is here... but still, we might find more information about the slave trade there.
Finding a letter on the baron, he opens it and reads...
"Never mind Kern, here it is." Hob fairly purrs as he realises the treasure inside the book.
Baron Meryl Galdur,
It is with deepest regret that I inform you that we will no longer be able to pay your entire asking price to pass by Piren’s Bluff in the future. At most, we can afford you 25 Crowns per caravan. I hope you will understand. If you have any questions about our agreement, please bring them to Teray or Kemet.
Graciously,
Lord Percival Cedric, Baron of Alvis
P.S. Please ensure that my son is not permitted to consort with any of your town’s women. He is far too easily distracted by them as of late.
"Ah... this corruption is deeper than we thought. It appears it spreads to the town of Alvis as well, where both the baron and his son are involved, as well as two men named Teray and Kemet. Perhaps these are the leaders of the slavers."
Masao reads the letter aloud then pockets it as proof of the baron's perfidy.
"There will be questions about the baron's death. We will need this letter for proof of his crime."
Masao's careful gaze reveals that this ordinary stick is, in fact, a wand of Magic Missile.
Kern, having heard the letter, pipes up No, no. Teray and Kemet are just other guards. They always did seem a little lazy on watch duty.
"Ah, well then, they need to be taken into custody now don't they. I'm sure word will spread to Alvis soon enough about the baron's death, but we don't need these two informing the slavers any sooner than necessary. Perhaps your captain Shiff can do the honors there, since he's no longer being blackmailed, it's time for him to prove his true side."
Masao hands the wand over to Hob with a quick description of it and how to activate it. "I think we can both use this, yes? But perhaps you would get more use out of it than I."
"Cedric." Pronounces Hob carefully, pushing loathing into every syllable.
Hob whistles softly as he handles the wand.
Beautiful. This is a master's work - or perhaps even greater!
Hob smiles gratefully, and stows the artefact in a tool pouch.
with a questioning look, Hob takes the potion and examines it.
"Baron might have set up blackmail to come out when he was dead." Hob points out "Shiff might be angry."
Arwen looks all this with just a step away from body. Listening and thinking happenings he is trying to form an image of everything going around I would say that if we want to root out this problem we have to move to Alvis and stop the slavery there. Most likely the headquarters and nest of action is there. There is also preparations to be done and to be honest...
sighing and moving toward Baron, crouching and touching gently his head and closing his eyes. I would like to give proper burial to him. No matter what, we are to love and to understand others no matter who they were. Shelyn will forgive him and give him her love but the others... may his soul rest in peace
Samant wakes up, and listens panicked until his eyesight returns.
Then furiously begins to take notes.
Arwyn, to admit we had part in the Baron's death would be to draw an exorbitant amount of attention to us, not to mention the fact that we killed a member of nobility with the only proof being the word of a guard.
Looks at Kern, Not that your word is bad of course
Back to the group, The circumstances of the Baron's demise can easily be turned against us with some clever wordplay. Not withstanding our very public display of defying the captain this morning. We look extremely guilty. I believe we need to extricate ourselves from here as soon as possible.
Upon inspecting the bottle, Hob finds that it is just ordinary water, dyed red,
Masao shrugs slightly and looks at Samant. "I'm not ashamed of what we have done here. We have the words of this letter as well as that of Kern and hopefully Shiff as well. Still, perhaps you are correct and we should consider leaving here as soon as possible. I agree with Arwen that we need to get to Alvis as quickly as we can. I'm sure the town will see to the baron's burial, Arwen. But if it is something you must do, maybe it will give me and Hob time to study from the baron's spellbook and copy some of his spells for our own use." He looks at Hob and winks broadly and smiles, knowing this is something they both wish to do before traveling on.
Pondering the situation and looking at everyone True... we would need to make haste towards Alvin in order to give the others as less amount of time as possible to prepare against us. However, I feel that as my responsibility, well partially, that we took his life I should at least attend or take care of his burial. Reasons are partly because of my devotion, priesthood but also the reason to show love and... forgivness. None of us are below each other... [b] and in a slow muttering as can be heard as thought he is recalling something [b]expect those murderous chel.... and going back to normal speech and as I can see, I am definetely not a follower of arcana and can´t say nothing as a world seeing man about your interest toward that spellbook baron apparently had. Nevertheless, if you wish so I can give proper amens and ceromonies and ask for the clerics of Shelyn to take care of baron body. We can then advance towards Alvis and maybe during this preparation time you can try to learn something and during the trip