Agents of Cheliax Abroad (Inactive)

Game Master Molech

Yaos conjured brute squad proceeds to rip Winnow limb from limb. The snakes and leopards then proceed to feast on his flesh. Soon little remains aside from blood, spread liberally around the room and scattered bones.

"Keep the head intact," Azlain said without looking up from his paperwork.

Yaos yells an instruction to her ravenous horde and runs over to the rapidly disappearing body of Winnow. She then has two of the constrictor snakes pull the head away from the rest of the body, which is being pulled on the leopards as they try to detach flesh. Yaos then severs the spinal cord with her dagger and returns to Azlain with a messily severed but intact head which is dripping rather a lot of blood.

The Red Widow, looking very much the part, then holds out the head to Azlain, saying cheerfully "Here you go."

"Thank you," Azlain said. "Bag it. We'll deliver it to the Garrison with the rest of the evidence as soon as we are done here."

"I don't have a bag. Besides, it isn't very gallant of the brave Sir Hellknight to be asking the lady of the group to wander around with a severed head. Isn't that more something you, or even better The Bogeyman ,should be doing? As a fashion accessory this is really lacking. Neither feminine nor subtle." replies Yaos, sounding a little outraged and, not very convincingly, distressed.

Yaos moves a little closer and speaks softly, so the kids can't hear "And are those Bills of Sale genuine? And is that even legal? If the answers are yes and yes, we are going to have to proceed carefully. I mean if Lord Tiam Oberigo was acting on the instructions or with the concurrence of Countess Tanith Oberigo then we are not going to receive the thanks and gratitude for her rescue we expected. We are going to have to be careful. And if Lord Tiam did this on his own initiative, how will the Countess react? We could even blackmail him to keep this secret. And what is this about "four samples of intelligence (labeled 1, 2, 3, 4) regarding the city of Nisroch?" Are the details in the document? That could be most useful to anyone from Cheliax operating in Nisroch."

The bills of sale, after a cursory reading, are legal and seem genuine, not forged. And while a forensic lawyer may indeed find points on which to argue in court, that would likely be an involved process.

It certainly appears as though House Oberigo, one of its minor Lords, sold his baby girl to the Agent of Pangolais to be raised as a student of The Midnight Lord, one day to become a Cleric or Inquisitor or somesuch asset -- perhaps even a future ambassador between the two States.

Just so there is no confusion, the four samples of intelligence on Nisroch are merely labeled by number, they are not detailed or described. It just says "payment included four samples of intelligence" and throughout the convoluted, er 'comprehensive' document they are numbered. ....One would have to ask Lord Tiam Oberigo (or maybe his matriarch, Countess Tanith) the contents of such intelligence.

"Whatever gave you the impression I was knighted? Or gallant?" Azlain chuckled, still not looking up from his paperwork.

Mindy rolled her eyes and flitted down to take the head. It shrunk to the size of a marble and she tucked it away in her satchel.

Shrink Item wand.

"He's useless sometimes," she whispered conspiratorially to Yaos.

"What was that?" Azlain asked dryly.

Mindy cleared her throat.

"I said you're useless sometimes"

"Ah. Yes. Clearly my talents have been exhausted. Perhaps you'd like to carry this as well?" Azlain said, offering Mindy the cloth-wrapped Nightglass.

Mendacious blanched visibly and flitted behind Yaos. "No, that's alright. I think you're doing just fine."

Azlain pocketed the Nightglass again and returned to his documents. "Why thank you. It's good to feel useful."

"Whatever gave you the impression I was knighted? Or gallant?" Azlain chuckled, still not looking up from his paperwork.

"OK, OK, keep your head on." replies Yaos in a friendly tone. Then as Mindy takes the head says "Thank you Mindy."

Baby Girl of House Oberigo

.

The two little children stand quietly watching the exchange. They are exhausted. The boy, more pragmatic, sits. The girl had noticed The Bogeyman exit the empty house but she does not see him now. Perhaps he is invisible like the Lady who is talking to that Wizard, the one who tricked the smiley-monster into the black disk. It was not from Hell, like Our Father, Asmodeus and the Oberigo patron Mephistopheles. She thinks.

Neither know what to do next. What will happen. The boy, with more a sense of street-wise vulnerability, averts his eyes. Tries to be invisible like the Halfling Alchemist he knew. But not the Oberigo girl. She remains precocious. She looks at the Wizard and his Imp slave. She tries to find the invisible Lady that talked to her and the Wizard. She tries to see the scary man who came out of the empty house, and the man with the same color eyes as Lady Dressarosa Arvanxi has.

But she is not clever enough to say something. No words of question come to her tiny mind. She stands there, naked, looking but not moaning or whimpering. A diminutive line of blood trickles from her mouth from the spike on the witch's bridle.

A moment later, the adrenaline of the night's events calming down, her fatigue begins to slow to exhaustion. Her eyes become heavy. The Wizard and the invisible Lady and the scary man and the man that has the same eyes as Lady Dressarosa Arvanxi are talking. And the little girl wants nothing more now than to sleep.

Magnius Arvanxi
Investigator / Inquisitor of the Godclaw

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"I can ask the Lord Mayor, my uncle, about House Oberigo and if he knows of any legal entanglements with Lord Tiam, why he might have sold his sixth child to the Umbral Court."

But there is a hesitation in his voice, something that makes the minor noble not necessarily want to take such an action. ....Seeing your curious glances he answers, "Aberian Arvanxi would prefer it if I weren't so, 'independent' -- if I were instead promoting House Arvanxi's influence. Part of me wonders if he'll exert his influence over me and command I leave this foray into the politics of such a little House as Spartaco and its rural little Gheradescci County. ....But I do think we could get some answers, if you think it's worth the risk."

"Otherwise, I can make some inquiries," The Bogeyman intervenes from the shadows, his face well hidden under his hood for fear of frightening the children, however brave they may be. "In the meantime, we must keep these children out of harm's way. They are now our responsibility. And they must be put on the right and true path of Asmodeus."

"To be clear: it seems that Winnow was in his legal rights, however disturbing that may be to me."

"That seems to be the case. However, he proceeded to resisted arrest right up until the moment of his death. The last thing he attempted to do was escape to another plane of existence."

The curious question of Winnow's refusal to submit to Hell's Law may not yet be knowable, the question regarding what to do with the Oberigo girl, however, is one you can answer. The night sky over the Parego Dospera in Westcrown grows darker. Will you ferry to the Parego Regicona to present her to Lord Tiam Oberigo? Or to his matriarch, Countess Tanith? Will you send Magnius Arvanxi to his uncle Lord Mayor Aberian Arvanxi? And then, after the baby girl is done and the boy done too, will you answer GrandCount Marcus Phandros about the Halflings of the Bellflower Network, and then find one of the Bastards from his House, Kylian, to trade the information that Winnow was in Westcrown purchasing slaves, looking for the next generation of disciples to The Midnight Lord?

The Bogeyman is eager to conclude with Grand Count Marcus Phandros, but likely to invite the others to deal with the girl – that is, unless we want to keep her? Honestly, if they sold her in good faith, I am not sure that they will want her back, and if they do take her back, isn't it likely that they will sell her anew? Not that the Bogeyman objects to slavery, but clearly, this girl has great potential, which should be dedicated to Asmodeus and not to the Midnight Lord!

Also... Isn't there still one halfling agent remaining?

"Magnius, Bogeyman you both have means for gaining information as to how the Oberigo's may react to the return of their young daughter. This is most fortunate and I would be grateful if you would both find out what you can. I, and I suspect the rest of you, thought that House Oberigo would be delighted at the rescue of their child. But Lord Tiam Oberigo seems to have sold her deliberately and advisedly. We have likely killed his ally and disrupted his plans. Countess Tanith Oberigo's views are entirely unknown to us. If she is of one mind with Lord Tiam... we are going to have to proceed very carefully. Does anyone have a way to get these horrid devices off the children's heads? I can re-summon Red Wing later and see if she can remove the things, but that will take time. Finally, I think it is time to leave this place. All this conflict has likely drawn attention." says Yaos, who returns to visibility as she starts to speak. She cleans most of the blood off her hands and then gathers the two children to her once more as she finishes speaking, adding, addressing the children "In any event I will see to it that you are safe and get those things off your heads as soon as I can."

Magnius Arvanxi
Investigator / Inquisitor of the Godclaw

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"Oh, my apologies Lady Yaos, I neglected to mention I also found the little mundane key that unlocks those Witch's Bridles when I was cataloging the contents of Winnow's Portable Hole. Here is the key.

"As to the intelligence, yes. I will go to my uncle the Lord Mayor to see what he may have to say about House Oberigo, agents of The Midnight Lord, and their alliance (or the breaking of such alliance) through the selling of slaves.

"So, shall Milady, The Red Widow talk to her contact, Kylian Phandros about Winnow, while Azlain talks with House Phandros' GrandCount regarding the Bellflower Network assassins, while The Bogeyman attempts intelligence gathering on Countess Tanith, all while I speak to the Arvanxi Lord Mayor my uncle? ....We can meet back at our temporary lodging in a few days when we've had time enough for that and spending the bit of wealth we have summed up?

"Who will take the child now?"

"Thank you Magnius. And it's children."replies Yaos, taking the key and unlocking and removing the devices from the two children's heads and inspecting their heads for damage. Then she continues "I will take the children with me if that is alright with you two and the rest of you. And we should get out of here."

"Remind the Grand Count that he made a promise to The Bogeyman," the monster of Asmodeus asks Azlain before he disappears into the shadows...

...Only to soon reappear in Parego Spera in the guise of the amiable Lucius Difax. It is late and the streets are near empty. The only worthwhile establishments that are open at this time are only known to those who know.

Fortunately, Lucius is one of those who know. He makes his way to a lively tavern and offers himself a nightcap while sharing tall tales and hearing the rumours of the night.

He pays particular attention to any mention of the events at the Dusk Market...

diplomacy to gather information on the night's events: 1d20 + 30 ⇒ (4) + 30 = 34

So no one is interested in hunting down the last halfling?!

[b]"I have a report to make. I suggest we all meet in the morning to plan our next steps. Come to the garrison. We can leave from there." Azlain said. His companions seemed to have everything well in hand, so he sat down at Winnow's desk and began writing.

Azlain is writing up a report to be delivered by Mindy. I'm in favor of going after the last halfling.

Yaos leaves the house where there has been conflict and death, two children in tow. She has Pale Wing take up a watch position above her and her two small charges and negotiates the street until arriving at the condominium where she is staying.

She makes sure the children are bathed and fed, doing it herself if need be, and then puts them to bed.

The next morning Yaos heads for the barracks, kids in tow.

I am not sure if we have servants in the condo Yaos is staying. If not she will do the work herself. Yaos will have the children's beds made up in the room she is sleeping, feeling a little distrustful.