Wardove's Rumble in the Jungle

Game Master Laithoron

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Male Sky Elf Game Master lv 20

When Lureene returns to the ponderous 'treatsie' before her, she finally manages to stumble across the following:

A Treatsie on the Hierarchy of the Nine Hells wrote:
Homeku: Vice-Chancellor of Social Engineering, Prime Material Provisional Directorate


Lureene waves over Alis, Alex, and Priyya, and points out the passage she discovered about Homeku.

"Unfortunately, I do not know what specifically the Social Engineering aspect actually refers to, but if I extrapolate what we know now about the Cabal, it sounds like they do want to bring a new order to Elsemar, which fits with my earlier theory. Since Chivane is an elf, I believe there are those of the elvish race who would be at the top of the pecking order in this new world order. She apparently believes in it, as she was fomenting a civil war, right Alex?"


Priyya takes some time to sort through the information everyone has found. The process isn't helped by the fact that every Deity and Devil mentioned has more than one name in each of the languages and cultures. Priyya finds herself having to translate everything into Xerakai to make sense of it...

"Let me see if I have this straight... So, to sum up, we now know the 'ruby' in 'Ruby Coil' probably refers to the gate color of the Nine Hells and clearly shows the allegiance of the Coil. We believe they are dedicated to Mephisto and seem now linked to an even more specific hierarchy - Mephisto to Homeku to Charelle. Assuming their mission is tied to Homeku - they are doing some 'social engineering' work on our plane. If Charelle heads their enforcement 'arm' then there isn't much more to say. If there are multiple enforcement arms... then perhaps Charelle's folks, with their dedication to revenge, tells us something. A need for 'revenge' is triggered by something. So what has Alis or any of us done to trigger that need? I think this possibly supports Alex's idea... The Coil started carrying out their plan. Alis' intercession is considered 'interference' and the revenge girls are sent in to right things."


"Did you say Charelle?" There is a hint of fear in Alis' voice as she looks up from a text that Alex was showing her. "I remember hearing about her in... parables. She was among the most beautiful and passionate of Súmalya's court yet she was insatiable. She was ruled by a desire to always push beyond the limits of what could be considered beautiful, artistic, or even lustful for that matter. When creativity and ecstasy could no longer satisfy her, she turned to ever greater acts of deviance which ultimately led her down the path of depravity and cruelty. In the end she was cast out of Súmalya's court for enslaving herself and others to her own desire rather than serving as a muse."

"The lesson was that all things are possible but not all things are beneficial, and that we must never allow ourselves to become enslaved to passions that pull people down rather than raising them up. I had always thought her nothing more than a storybook figure to teach and scare young acolytes. To think that she's not only real but the patron of an order of diabolic assassins... What in the world...?"

Looking at Priyya with anxiety plain on her face, she asks, "All of this has just started since we left the safety of home. You don't think they are after Alexis too, do you?"


Priyya tries to be reassuring. "I doubt it. It seems like the Coil are local to this area and their Social Engineering 'Project' is here. I don't imagine they have designs on a small fledgling colony thousands of leagues from here. I would think your sister is far safer than we are at the moment."


"Plus, she's surrounded by some folk who seemed to know how to handle themselves- as well as being an accomplished mage in her own right. I'm sure your sister is safe, Alis."


Lureene nods at Mal’s statement, ”Yeah, Rath-hun is with her, so I know she will be ok, ‘Lis.” She also gives Alis a reassuring hug, letting her know she is not alone.

She then thinks for a moment, ”Judging from what you have told me, I believe Charelle would be after you, ‘Lis due to your faith. I do not know if I figure into her plans as well, but judging from what has happened so far, I think the three of us ladies, along with Fel and Mal, would pose a serious threat to her plans. I think she would concentrate her resources in thwarting us.”


Lureene wrote:
"Judging from what you have told me, I believe Charelle would be after you, ‘Lis due to your faith."

Alis seems a bit relieved by all of your reassurances regarding Alexis' safety, although she gives Lureene a dubious look at her last statement. "I'm not entirely sure attacking a wayward ex-priestess with already shaky faith sound like a reasonable use of resources. Don't you remember, Chivane didn't even seem to know about my training until she'd had a chance to observe us fighting..."

A sigh escapes Alis and she shakes her head in frustration. "If 'Sis were here, she'd probably have puzzled this whole thing out already..."

"Hmm, a puzzle..." The princess looks up at all of you and says, "OK, enough theories for a moment, let's see if we can't establish what we actually know..."


The princess unrolls a blank scroll on the table in the library and dips a quill in ink as she starts taking notes. "OK, help me out here, in case I'm forgetting anything."
.
.
.
.
She continues speaking and thinking out loud as she begins writing up a list...

  • Baltus Kale is dared into going on a hunting expedition that gets him killed, presumably by a well renowned hunter and peer in Dunwaar. It appears the purpose was to cause either his direct downfall or to provoke a war with the Ghostlord. Failing a war with the Ghostlord, we know that if the public found out what had transpired, there would have been outrage. Thanks to us capturing the survivors, rather than letting them escape, it was largely kept secret.
  • We arrive in Valehaven and news of what transpired reaches the city council and Verona Kale. Prior to our arrival, it seems that no one knew we were coming. Given the speed at which the Golden Drakes' horses travel that's not entirely unexpected I suppose. While there, our presence is made known. It's possible that the nature of my mission might even have been overheard on any number of occassions.
  • Actually, someone must have known we were there, at least by the time we reached the theater. Someone, seemingly Lucia or someone she or Lorenzo dominated, delivered that locket to Lureene. Lucia seemed to indicate it was more of an afterthought though, almost like dropping a letter off at someone's house along a path you are already walking.
  • The following day, things start to get interesting. Someone actively intercepts and rewrites a letter from me to Lady Kale in such a way as to be insulting and inflamatory. However, they were seemingly in haste because they mirrored my royal seal. Making a cast of the seal in person would not have done that. However, when scrying in a pool of water, it is like looking at a reflection... things can be reversed. We know that Lorenzo was a wizard of no small power, certainly high enough in level to have scried upon us perhaps thru the sealed locket Lureene received.
  • Lorenzo and Lucia had dominated a man who was also a gardener at Lady Kale's estate and tried to use him as their assassin. The earliest point at which the man's memory became inconsistent seemed to be when he was out drinking the night before following the performance of Epica. Lureene said that spell can last days and they would have clearly had to have dominated the man earlier. If this man was at Kale's estate when my letter arrived, he could have easily made the swap.
  • At the theater, the dominated man attempts to drop a chandelier on me, and he's mind-controlled in an attempt to complete the framing of Verona Kale. Lorenzo raises zombies to scare everyone out of the theater so the have an excuse to flee, but Mal and Lureene botch their plans by saving the man from self-poisoning. Suddenly, they have to stay and alter his memories and get rounded up for questioning.
  • Lucia indicated that none of our deaths were actually required in their contract. Granted, she resisted the same zone of truth spell that Lorenzo fell victim to so she could have been lying. Contrast that to this evening when the men in that mob and even Chivane seems to be attempting to capture me and kill the rest of you. If Lucia was telling the truth, that would mean there has perhaps been an alteration in their plans.
  • From what Monroe told us, all this ruckus in Dunwaar started 2 nights ago. Last night was the end of the 23rd, so the night before that would be the 22nd... Lakusday the 22nd was the day after the debacle at the playhouse. Riding all day on a fast horse, it takes two days to travel between Valehaven and Dunwaar. So, if someone left Valehaven on Alsday the 20th, the day we arrived in Valehaven, they could have made it to Dunwaar by about the same time on Lakusday, the day Monroe said things started to get crazy here.
  • Baron Quailworthy's mansion burnt down because the man supposedly was trying to feign his death and got caught. (Alex interjects and says that the fire happened yesterday on the 23rd.) Now the thing I find really interesting about this is how they found the man. Monroe said his charred body was trapped beneath gold slag. Someone heaped enough gold on him to prevent him from moving and it got melted. Have any of you ever held a bar of gold? I have, they are heavy, about 25 pounds. Know how many gold piece it takes to equal that? 25 hundred!. If these unions were so concerned about having someone leave town with their money, why pile what had to have been at least 20,000 gold on top of the man and leave it there for the city guard to find?
  • Then there was this ambush tonight. All of these people somehow had it in their heads that I was an emissary from Estoria here to coerce Elsmyr Dale into allowing itself to be annexed by Estoria. First off, my Estorian title is secondary and honorary in light of the fact that I'm a princess of Ilmarond. Secondly, if that were the case why was there no such similar commotion in the locations we passed thru previously? It has to be because that rumor was started here.
  • And there's another thing. Priyya is a good shot, but from what I saw, the hit she landed on that man before all the fighting started shouldn't have been fatal. I think that guy went down easy to play on the crowd's reaction. That entry on Homeku mentioned 'social engineering'. I think we got a taste of what that means tonight.
  • Let's also not forget about what Chivane said before our fight started. She knew about Baltus Kale's death. From her mention of endangering everyone in the Dale, I can only assume she was talking about the Ghostlord even though the general populace of Valehaven knew nothing of it, it was already public knowledge here and served to divide the Tar Dogs against their western counterparts.
  • Lucky for us, word of our capability in a fight must not have made it here ahead of us because Chivane was surprised that the gang wasn't able to last longer. Also, even though she recognized it, Chivane was surprised to see my fighting style. If she had the time to research me heavily, then that really shouldn't have come as any surprise.
  • The main question now is who was responsible for setting all these pieces into motion? If they were in Dunwaar to begin with then they must be close at hand now. Could that lumber baron who got killed have been set up to take the fall? His death was certainly dramatic enough to attract lots of attention. But if he was setup, then the person who set him up must still be alive...

"Dammit, I wish 'Sis were here..." Alis hits her fist on the table and sighs, "Unfortunately for you and your father, Alex, you now find yourselves in the unenviable position of not only imprisoning a woman who had the local gangs believing she was their liberator, but you are also sheltering the very woman that the unions were trying to stop. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful, but it makes me wonder if we've played into this plan of sewing dissent where the shouldn't be any..."

She leaves the quill sticking out of the ink pot and massages her hand a bit. "Anyone else have any observations we're overlooking?"

NOTE: Going back thru, it looks like I messed up and named both the lumber baron AND the count 'Quailworthy'. That should be the name of the dead lumber baron. The Count's family should be 'Ayers' — Count Lucius Ayers and his son, Lord Alex Ayers.


Felmor interjects here, "I t'ink mebbe we should check out th'burned out mansion area, that be th' most likely spot ta find some clues." He turns to Lord Alex, and continues, "Can ye tell me if'n yer troops sealed th' area off ta gangs 'n riffraff?"

He leans back against the wall, and addresses Alis, "I t'ink mebbe I should do this alone. It be too risky 'n beside ye is verra...noticable, plus every body along wit' their brother be lookin' fer ye. I t'ink gittin' someone who not be well known thar would be wise. Take this cap'ns outfit off 'a me 'n I be some ordinary schmuk, like I be afer I met ye, Princess."


Alex replies, "The Quailworthy estate was just west here along the waterfront. It flanked the causeway that used to serve as the access road to this castle. Several nearby buildings had to be burned under control just to create a fire-break to prevent the conflagration from spreading. As for cordoning it off... no. Even without the new fires that began to night, the guard have had their hands full just trying to maintain martial law."

He sighs as he looks over the list Alis has started compiling. "Even the castle itself is working with only a half shift. Father diverted many of the house guard to assist the Captain's efforts."

"As for the giant mound of melted gold we found, that got hauled into the castle here. It's been locked in the armory since pretty much all the weapons and armor have been put into play now. Anyway, if you want to go have a look around what's left of the Quailworthy estate, it would probably be best to head out thru the postern rather than opening the front gate — the winches can be rather loud and you would be exposed while climbing down to the ground."

BTW, at this point you've been in the castle for about 6 hours, 4 of which have been spent in the library doing research. The library itself contains no exterior walls, so it is only when you (eventually) step outside that you can see that Brightpool has set and that it is well past midnight.


Priyya sits down heavily on the table, considering Alis' list. "OK, so it seems likely that we have some mortal powerbroker in Dunwaar, a Coil member, who was able to entice Kale into getting himself killed. So, how do we track this guy down?"


Felmor responds to her, "Well me Desert Rose, I be hopin' that Quailworthy place mebbe have a trail, least I hope so. Heck, mebbe he be th' one behind it all, 'n he be deep sixed ta cover their tracks."

He starts to take off his distinctive Captain's garb, and into his old sailor's outfit. He also makes sure to hide his facial features as much as possible, smearing some dirt and grime on his face. Once he has finished changing, he straps on his sword and dagge, along with his trushed belaying pin. Och, I hope I dinnae need to draw any weapons.

He turns to the others, and especially Priyya, "I dinnae plan ta be long, but if'n ye gots any prayers, now be th' time..."


From outside the library, you hear the approaching sound of someone running in full armor followed by Captain Monroe bursting thru the door a panicked look on his face. "By the gods!" He takes a moment to catch two gulps of air, "I thought I was gonna find you guys dead! The damned assassin is missing from her cell and I just found the Count knocked out in the shot locker on the south–"

From the opposite side of the library, the other door opens and a guard says, "Oh! Captain, no one has seen Turney in at least a couple hours, but I know he and one of the maids were shacking up. Want me to round up the housekeepers?"

Still breathing heavily, Monroe says, "Do it! And stay in pairs or groups of three. A fu<king assassin got sprung!"

"Alex, you–"

Before Monroe can finish his sentence, Alex's legs go out from under him and Alis just barely manages to catch the faint young lord with Lureene's help. Monroe gives the winged-woman an odd look upon seeing how she is dressed but quickly turns his gaze to Priyya. "About that assistance you were willing to offer..."


Priyya slides off the table, pulling her sword and looking for her bow. "The offer is still on the table, Captain. What would you like me to do?"


Felmor curses a particularly vile sailors oath, and grabs his weapons. "Turney! He musta sprug 'er...he knew we 'ad th' prisoner wit' us!"


Lureene gently sets Lord Alex down, glancing over him to make sure he is ok. Then she mentally contacts Grak, who she had stationed to watch for such an occurence.

"Grak, the bug lady is missing from her cell, are you ok? What did you see down there?"


Priyya checks on Alex to make sure his faint isn't unnatural. "Alis, do you still have the only key to Chivane's cell?"

Heal 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25


Male Sky Elf Game Master lv 20
Lureene Ourson wrote:

Grak... proceeds to climb up the ceiling and takes a spot there in order to keep an eye on the corridor.

Stealth 1d20+12 => (9) + 12 = 21

P1 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

P2 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (4) + 15 = 19
P3 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

Lureene:
"Missstresss, ssssaw man in fancccy pantsss open cccellsss. Elf woman and human man talked, ssseemed angry at each other, but left together."


Lureene establishes her mental link with Grak, much to her relief. What he tells her causes her face to pale, and she motions frantically to Captain Monroe, Priyya, and the others.

Once Priyya has finished tending Alex, and they have gathered around her, she says urgently, ”Captain, my familiar saw a man wearing fancy clothes enter the cell corridor and free both of the prisoners. Chivane and the nobleman talked for a while, but left together.”

She turns to Captain Monroe, and exclaims, ”I think Count Lucius freed Chivane! That means he is probably the one who set this whole plan into motion, Alis. Remember, when he first saw us, he was shocked to see us. I did not think anything of it at the time, but he was counting on Chivan to succeed with his plans!” Turning to Monroe, she adds, ”Chivane probably knocked him out to throw the scent off of his trail. We need to find him!”


"Slow down, Lureene! Those sorts of accusations are best made judiciously. First, can Grak describe the man he saw so we can be sure it was the Count? Second, magic can alter the appearance of anyone. This could be a simple framing... After all, if one wanted to access the prisoners, wearing the Count's face would be the best choice. No one would defy him."


Priyya:
His fainting appears to be natural. When you splash a bit of cold water on his face, he wakes up although he's looking quite pale.

Upon hearing Lureene's words, Alex nearly blacks out again, but Priyya manages to keep him focused, "F– father? There's no way? That just can't be!"

When Priyya asks about the key, Alis turns away from Captain Monroe and fishes the steel key he gave her out of her bodice. Monroe frowns deeply and waits for Priyya to finish admonishing Lureene before responding, "Well, the only other person who would have a key to everything in the castle would be Lucius... You're right though, we can't drag our asses here, but we also can't be hasty."


"True enough, Captain. But only we here know that the Count may be involved. So if he is guilty, and conscious at this time, he may assume he's gotten away with it. I would think that with an assassin on the loose and your Count attacked, your first duty would be to secure his safety, post guards that you trust around him, that sort of thing." She doesn't state the obvious - guards that are nominally assigned to keep threats out can also hold threats in. There is a fine line between being a guard and a jailor. "We need more information from Grak - what did this fellow look like, did he use a key to open the cell, etc."


"Stallings is up in the gatehouse with Lucius and a few men. I've also got men looking for Turney and the guard who was just here said he's going to go find the maid Turney was laying."

He thinks for a moment and says, "The chapel would make sense to hole up in. The windows are sealed and there's only one set of doors in or out, plenty of space for everyone, and its close to the clerics' quarters."


"Well then, for safety, perhaps we should all go together to the gatehouse to retrieve the Count and safely see him and his son to the chapel. Does that sound good to you, Captain? Alis?"


Alis looks up from Alex with sympathy evident on her face. "That sounds like as good a place as any."


Lureene nods at Alis, then turns to Alex, and a look of sympathy crosses her face, "I am sorry, Alex, I was rather blunt there, I did not mean to hurt you like that. Like Priyya said, it may not have been your father."

She then issues a mental command to Grak to join the group on the way to the chapel.


With Priyya and Alis' help, Alex regains his feet, leaning on them for a moment before nodding that he is ok.

"The chapel is just west of here on the next floor up. The gatehouse is due south of it. Let's go there first and secure it." His gaze looks distant and downtrodden. "The captain can then have his men escort fa– the Count to us."

Alis sighs, and puts her hand on Alex's arm for strength, saying nothing.


Priyya regards Alex with sympathy, "Milord, we don't know for certain of the Count's involvement. This could be a clever frame. Also, if possible, please be your normal self around your father. If our suspicions are unjust, it would be better for Monroe and the Princess if our misplaced doubts never come to your father's attention."

"Where's Yvonne? We should probably collect her on our way to the chapel - let's keep all our eggs in one basket. Also, there is no guarantee Chivane has fled. She seemed determined and I can't imagine her Patron takes failure well."

Priyya collects her bow and makes sure they have all of Chivane's gear as well, particularly that unidentified mask, before heading out.


Felmor grabs the rest of his gear as well, and slips his Captain's baldric back on, before heading out with the others.


As they stalk the halls, Priyya says lightly, "Well, Fel, I see you didn't really want to investigate that burned out mansion after all."

Priyya's tone stands in stark contrast to her behavior: her eyes questing for anything anomalous, the periodic discerning glance at Alex is he this shaken or is he acting?, her hand gripping her scimitar hilt in an anticipatory way. To Fel, it is like watching Talvyra; Priyya is hunting.

Perception 1d20 + 12 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 12 + 5 = 20 Eagle Eyes


Male Sky Elf Game Master lv 20

Oof! Ninja'd 3x over! Give me a minute, this is going to take a bit...

BTW, Yvonne has stayed with you all this time, but having a difficult time with common and having lost a lot of blood earlier, she fell asleep in one of the leather chairs in the library. She awoke when Monroe barged in the door and is ready to go.

Monroe and Priyya take the lead, keeping their eyes open for any lurkers about. You head out the library door and up the same spiral stairs that lead to the level of the great hall. Hanging a left, you enter the great hall and head up the stairs to the master suite in which you left what equipment you were not carrying.

All of you equip yourselves for a fight, but looking around, you don't see the rest of the equipment taken from Chivane!

Perception Checks
Alis 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17 +1 trapfinding
Felmor 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17
Lureene 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27 +1 trapfinding
Malandraenas 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16
Priyya 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18

Looking about, Lureene finds something curious. It looks like the corner of the north wall isn't flush. Upon closer inspection, she discovers a secret room containing a chair, an open chest, and a small window overlooking the lake. Around the leg of the chair, a rope has been tied and it is lodged up against the window leading down into darkness. Inside the chest you find a few empty flask (Priyya IDs the reside as healing potions).


Lureene motions Grak over and introduces him to Alex. ”Alex, this is Grak, he is the one who saw your father, or someone who looked like him. Grak, can you tell us everything you remember when you were watching the cells?”


Male Sky Elf Game Master lv 20
Priyya Surya-ka-Vahaak wrote:
Priyya's tone stands in stark contrast to her behavior: her eyes questing for anything anomalous, the periodic discerning glance at Alex is he this shaken or is he acting?, her hand gripping her scimitar hilt in an anticipatory way. To Fel, it is like watching Talvyra; Priyya is hunting.

That would be sense motive, not perception.

Sense Motive Checks:
Alis 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28
Felmor 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Lureene 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Malandraenas 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
Priyya 1d20 + 8 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 8 + 5 = 14 wary
Priyya 3 + 8 + 5 = 16 (using prior roll you made)

Priyya:
You're wondering if the young man is honestly just a complete wuss. For her part, Alis seems to be rather sympathetic.


Eesh. Yall get all fun and exciting when i get all busy. I"m back now.

though, Mals' got nothing to add, and we'll assume he's been bringing up the back. letting Darkmane lead the hunt. :)


Male Sky Elf Game Master lv 20

After finding the secret door, the rest of you take your time searching the room and find two more secret doors. One in the west wall by the top of the stairs. Another next to an armoire in the south wall.

The one in the west wall leads to a hallway that wraps around the west and south walls of the keep. On one end it exits onto the top of the north curtain wall. On the other end, to the top of the east curtainwall near the millhouse. At the corner in the center of the hallway is the same spiral stair that runs up and down through the keeps' southwest corner. This is the same hallway off of which the Castellan's and Alex' rooms are accessed.

The other secret door leads into a small room containing only a locked, iron-bound chest that Alex says are the castle's coffers.

MAP: Dunwaar Castle, level 4


"Alex, how many people know about these secret passages? Does Turney know them?" Clearly, whoever helped Chivane escape knew them like the back of his hand.


Does Mal's nose give us any help here? It's a long-shot, but he might have her scent from the fight.

Other than that, I got no ideas. I am tryign to catch up, though.


Male Sky Elf Game Master lv 20

Oof. Just finished one meeting now I have a 3-hour training session for a new product we'll be supporting. I might have to hold off on any further replies until I get home. We'll see...


Sheesh. Just getting better caught up (thakns to Justin and actually reading instead of skimming). I was under the impression we were in pursuit - so the comment regarding Mal's nose is now (i realize) mostly moot. Unless Mal's nose can somehow solve the puzzle of how the Count is involved... his nose is pretty smart.


It looks to me like our assassin got help to this spot, availed herself of the healing potions, and took off out the window. Of course, this could be a setup while she tries an end-run to complete her kidnapping mission but my guess is she is gone. BUT we still have our friendly neighborhood traitor (possibly the Count) to unmask and squeeze for info.


Hey Mike... how high is the curtain wall at it's highest point?
I only ask cuz once we uncover the traitor and grill him for everything he knows, Priyya will be throwing his ass off that wall to see if he sprouts Debil-wings! :) And if he doesn't... well... that's just as good.


Male Sky Elf Game Master lv 20
Priyya Surya-ka-Vahaak wrote:
Hey Mike... how high is the curtain wall at it's highest point?

.

.
Floor heights:
  • -20 ft, B2: Keep's Cellar
  • +0 ft, B1: Castle Basement, prison
  • +15 ft, L1: 1st Floor, bailey, barracks, stables, postern*
  • +30 ft, L2: Guest quarters, library, clergy, shot lockers**
  • +45 ft, L3: Great hall, chapel, portcullis winch
  • +60 ft, L4: Family quarters, millhouse, catapults, top of curtain walls
  • +75 ft, L5: Battlements of main keep
  • * Ground-level to the south is 15-ft lower than in other areas since the castle proper is built upon a natural spur of rock.
  • ** The Shot locker on the south wall joins with the city wall below


Priyya Surya-ka-Vahaak wrote:
"Alex, how many people know about these secret passages? Does Turney know them?"

"I'm really not certain. Besides father and myself I would say Castellan Farris, Father Vincent, and maybe Captain Monroe. The only people who are even ever in the family chambers besides Father, the Castellan, and any private guests would be the housekeepers."

On a whim, he leads everyone thru the secret door in the west wall and then asks everyone to see if they can spot it...

Perception Checks
Alis 10 + 10 = 20
Felmor 10 + 8 = 18
Lureene 10 + 8 = 18
Malandraenas 10 + 10 = 20
Priyya 10 + 12 + 5 = 27

By casual observation, the doorway is completely invisible. Only when Priyya or Mal equip the special goggles or when you actively sit and stare for cracks can you begin to make out the door into the hallway. The mechanism that activates it is even more well-hidden and Alex has to point it out.

Monroe rubs the shadow on his chin and says, "Yeah, if you don't know it's there, no way you'd notice that. The only time anyone even comes down this hall, they're going from the stairs to the roof of the chapel. No doors along here, no reason to stop except to get out of the wind."

When you re-enter and stand on the inside of the suite, the hidden door is equally hard to see.

Monroe comments, "The fact that it slides into a hollow spot in the wall means no scrape marks on the floor. That's pretty slick. I actually knew about the treasury, and that the spiral stair at the base of the 'Lord's Stair' led up and down thru the keep, but these other two are new to me. Maybe I need to go count windows when this sh1t storm er— when this situation in the city is straightened-out."


Male Sky Elf Game Master lv 20
Lureene wrote:
"Alex, this is Grak, he is the one who saw your father, or someone who looked like him. Grak, can you tell us everything you remember when you were watching the cells?"

While you are standing around observing secret doors and such, you hear a flapping outside the window trailing the rope and Grak finally flies in from outside. In short order, he describes seeing a man matching the description of what the count was wearing enter the prison level. After looking behind himself, he opened first the gang leader's cell and closed the door behind himself. There were muffled whispers and it sounded like the count revived the man. He then had the gang leader hold tight the binding chains for Chivane while he entered, revived her and then spoke with her for a bit in hushed tones (once again Grak was unable to understand what was said).

After a few minutes, there was slack on the binding chains and the count emerged with the assassin woman. The Count pointed to the north indicating her and pointed to the west for the man. The count left first and then return and signaled to the others who then followed. If Grak had to guess, he'd say this was several hours ago (kind of hard for him to tell since there are no windows in that area). He's pretty sure that his mistress was emotionally upset or concerned at the time though.


Monroe grumbles at the story. "Want to know how I found out there was something wrong?"

When all eyes turn to him, he says, "When Stallings and I got back from overseeing things in the city, no one came when I threw stones at the postern door like we normally do."

Alex interjects and asks, "Exactly why do you do that again?"

Monroe laughs and says, "So I don't get a crossbow bolt in the back from anyone on watch who is actually paying attention, that's why! Anyhow, after repeating the 3-stones routine a few times, neither Turney nor anyone else was coming so I went up to bang on the damn thing only to find that it was ajar! Can you imagine? Riots in the city and the backdoor to the only secure location is just open for anyone to waltz in here!"

"Stallings can tell ya, but I was piiiised! Everyone here's been pulling long shifts, so I dropped by the gatehouse and confirmed it was Turney watching the south wall still. I went tearing ass all over the walls, checking the tower barracks and that's when I found the Count in the shot locker on the 2nd floor with a cracked skull. After getting him to the gatehouse with Stallings, I ran over here looking for all of you."

Alex frowns and asks, "So what was it that father rushed after you for when you left us earlier after talking with Priyya? Anything that helps to make sense of all this?"

Monroe gives Alex a confused look and says, "Not sure what you mean. If the Count came after us we didn't see him. We left thru the postern after checking on the men in the tower barracks and gatehouse and then left."


Lureene listens to the story from Grak, and when he finishes the tale, you all see there is a burning look of rage in her eyes, a clear reminder of her Mother's legacy.

She turns to Captain Monroe, "I trust Grak here with my life. I believe him. Let's go find the Count."


Priyya sighs, "Well the evidence seems pretty damning. Even if the Count was knocked out on his way to find Captains Monroe and Stallings as he said he was going to do, it stretches incredulity that anyone other than he could have led the assassin to this secret room. Even Turney, with the unwitting assistance of his woman who may not have been one of the servants allowed up here, probably wouldn't have known about this room. If this is an elaborate frame - it is a very tight one... I think it is time to retrieve the Count, Stallings, and the rest. Alis, how do we proceed in a way that is diplomatically appropriate?"


Lureene Ourson wrote:
"I trust Grak here with my life. I believe him. Let's go find the Count."

At Lureene's outburst, Alex grimmaces but Monroe cuts him off, "Just hold on a second lady! Do we even have a plan? I'm kind of at a loss here."

Working on Alis' response...


Priyya wrote:
"Well the evidence seems pretty damning. Even if the Count was knocked out on his way to find Captains Monroe and Stallings as he said he was going to do, it stretches incredulity that anyone other than he could have led the assassin to this secret room. Even Turney, with the unwitting assistance of his woman who may not have been one of the servants allowed up here, probably wouldn't have known about this room. If this is an elaborate frame - it is a very tight one... I think it is time to retrieve the Count, Stallings, and the rest. Alis, how do we proceed in a way that is diplomatically appropriate?"

By the gods, this poor guy...

Concern lines Alis face and she purses her lips as squeezes Alex's arm. "Well, that's the trick, isn't it? The populace of Dunwaar thinks I'm here to overthrow their government and now, thru no fault of my own, that's the situation we've seemingly been put in..."

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