Anno Domini

Game Master Killer Pixie

Misimba walks other to the man and woman and asks in Greek,

"Here now. What has happened? Is there anything I .. errr..we can do to help?"

Lucius looks over the surrounding people, trying to gauge weaponry and hostile intent. He then checks the elven woman from range, trying to see if she has obvious injuries.

Gül runs up behind Misimba adding
"Ti néo fílo mou edó eípe Pós boroúme na voithísoume?"

The woman is not visibly injured, at least not physically. She looks at the man for a moment, doubtfully, and he speaks for her:

"Κάποιος έκλεψε το μωρό μας. Εμείς ... εμείς πρόκειται να το πεδίο όπου τον πήρε. Θα ήθελα να σας ευχαριστήσω, αν έρθει μαζί μας."

Don't understand it!

Lucius will follow the others. He understood what she said, although she was speaking a little aster than he would like. Someting about a baby and a field, but she seemed grateful. No knw Local so no extra context.

Assuming Lucius or someone else translates for him...

Michel tries calmly to respond, "Okay lets go to the field with them. Father, could you ask the couple why anyone would want to hurt them? Do they have enemies? Are they important?"

Michel attempts to gauge their reactions as Father Lucius questions them in Greek.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

No Know: Local here either, but Misimba can translate for those who do not speek greek.

"What is the problem?"
"I can see they're upset, but cannot understand them."

Misimba translates for those who do not speak Greek.

Someone stole our baby. We... we are going to the field where they took him. I would thank you if you come with us.

After translating to the others, Misimba speaks to the couple.

"Είμαι Misimba και αυτοί είναι οι φίλοι που έχω μόλις συναντήθηκαν ... δύο από τα οποία είναι της εκκλησίας. Θα έρθει μαζί σας και να προσπαθήσουμε να βοηθήσουμε"

Also no knowledge local here, Gül spends too much time in nature

"Let's go save their baby!"

Gül pauses for a moment
I wonder if they'll notice Berk if he pretends to be a belt

"I need to run up to my room to get something, I'll only be a moment."

Gül runs up to her room and quickly returns, looking much the same as when she left.

"Symfonó me Misimba , nomízo óti boroúme na voithísoume."

"Are we all going together then?"

At Michel's request Lucius turns to the couple and questions them in fluent greek, although his accent is a little off.

"Échete opoiodípote echthroús ? Giatí tha íthele kápoios na sas vlápsei ?"

After receiving their answers Lucius will translate for the others and then go to untie Alfonso from the hitching post nearby.

The woman seems to be more calm.

"Thank you. My name is Octavia." she says in English.

"And I am Abel." The man has a curious accent, and does not speak fluently. "We don't have any enemies! I don't know why would anyone want do do this to Azad."

"Well, what should we do next, then?"

They're lying... Instincts honed by decades in the snakes-nest of Roman politics has Lucius' instincts screaming at him. He's sat down to dinner with some of the most brilliant and conniving minds in Christendom and beaten them at the game. These two don't even come close. Squeeze them, truth will come quicker under fire.

"If you lie to us then we will not be able to help you." He responds, the kindly priest mask falling away and revealing the Vatican Spymaster beneath. "If you wish us to help find your son then you will stop lying and tell us the truth! We cannot aid you if you will not be honest with us. Azad's life depends on it. Now forgo your games and choose - the truth and our help, or your petty deceptions and we leave. Right now."

Turning to the others Lucius explains briefly. "They are lying to us. I told them that we will not assist them until we get the truth." He turns swiftly back to the pair and fixes them with a firm glare.

Any dice required or will RP alone suffice?

Good RP will do!

Abel looks scared and doubts, but Octavia answers with decision.

"It... it is probably nothing. But... we couldn't have a baby. We had tried, for years. Months ago, Father... forgive me, we requested the help of a Cadı, a witch!" The baby's father closes his eyes and looks down, in shame.

"She helped me, having Azad, and said she would come back to charge us later. I thought whatever she asked me would be worth giving up. I... I never thought. Is... is it possible the Cadı has taken him?"

"A witch...?"
Gül wears a worried expression.
"Wait, will we be fighting a witch?"

Gül addresses her new companions:
"Any of you guys know about witches? I've heard scary things."

"I've heard only bad things about witches."
"At least in large cities like Pest."
"In my village of Sződ, fear and respect."

"Bargains with powers such as those rarely end well." Lucius comments, before turning back to the couple. "Now, calm yourself and tell us everything you can about your contact with this Cadi. Where was it? When? What did you do? What does it look like? Think clearly and answer clearly also - you son's life likely depends on your answers!"

The irony of Lucius reprimanding people for making infernal bargains is not lost on me :)

"Witchcraft is often merely deceptions and mediocre talent at medicine. It'd be quite a rare day to meet a true Wiccan and know she was a practitioner." Michel scoffs.

Clearing his throat a bit, he corrects his unhelpful train of thought by explaining, "Of course, that doesn't make such charlatans any less dangerous and despicable. It could be possible that there is a connection there."

"We have similar people back home. Some are good and help the village in many ways, but sometimes a bad spirit will take their body...that is not good. I take it this witch was bad?"

Gül moves next to Misimba, leaning over a little bit.
"Sounds like a bad witch to me too, Misimba."

Gül then straitens and listens intently as Lucius interrogates the couple.

"Indeed."

"She came to our home, like if she knew what we needed. She was old and had a wrinked skin, with primples, and wore black robes and a pointy hat, it was obvious she was a Cadı." Octavia looks at Lucius, her eyes bloodshot, but not crying anymore.

"We just... closed the deal, and she left the house, never told me where she lived. A few months later, I realized I was going to have a baby. I do not know why would she want Azad, she kept rambling about having daughters herself. That is all we know, right?"

"Right." answers Abel.

"A fascinating tale. So you want us to confront this evil witch and get your baby back, is that it? How do you know where the witch will be? Did she tell you?"

"This is strange."
"But as Misimba says, we need to find the witch first."
"It sounds like she likes to hide from most."

"Well, witch or not, I want to help find Azad. Where should we start? Their house? Or do we have access to a fast animal that can track scent?"
Or maybe I've been to her home before, oh God I hope I don't have to go back there...

"Duma could track by scent, but I fear what the towns people and all these soldiers might think. I can track as well, if I know where to start."

"We might be able to get something of Azad's to bring to Duma outside town and then circle the town until he picks up the scent..."

"Well I am game if you are. Lets see what we can do to help these people...and see the evil witch!"

If the parents give us something I will lead the others outside of town and then call Duma to us.

"You have been most foolish my children. Cavorting with the infernal powers is foolishness of the worst kind, but the Lord is a forgiving god. We will aid you in finding your child. Now lead us to where you were walking - it is where we must begin searching."

Lucius has withdrawn somewhat, his tone is now that of a disappointed father rather than an angry prince of the church.

"Misimba, if you would bring your friend to the scene then we can get started." He follows the parents when they lead to the location of their walk and seems to assume that everyone else will follow as well.

"Yes, we should get going." suggest Abel.

A few minutes later, the lights and noise of the town are replaced by the tranquility of the plains, iluminated only by the crescent moon. There is a shape leaning against a tree.

Misimba, would you like to describe Duma or should I do it? I don't want to ruin the mental image you have of him.

A large, dark maned lion confidently strolls out from the long grass and walks over to the halfling. Standing almost 4' at the shoulder and close to 10' in length. Weighing in at around 600 lbs, the cat is surprisingly silent as it walks up and almost bowls Misimba over with its affectionate rubbing. It's tawny fur grows darker as it approaches the magnificent mane, which is almost black in it's depths.

"This my new friends is Duma. Say hello to our new friends Duma."

A deafening roar erupts from the lion, as it stares at each member of the group. It then flops to the ground and starts to purr deep in his throat.

"Whoa. A real lion. Its more impressive than I imagined." Michel murmurs with awe.

He clears his throat and moves from his daze and approaches the lion. Kneeling several feet before it, Michel greets the beast, "Hello Duma, its a pleasure." He reaches a hand out then looks at Misimba and says, "Do you think I can pet him?"

"Awww go ahead. He is a great big baby. Just scratch him under the chin...he likes that. He will also smell you and rub against you...lets him know who you are and tells other critters you belong to him."

As the monk follows the halflings instructions, the lion's purring gets even louder. It stands after letting Michel rub his chin for awhile and goes around the group smelling and rubbing against everyone (except Octovia and Abel.

"I'm sure Duma will be an excellent guide to finding the missing child."

"I agree, he even said hi to Berk."
Gül strokes what appears to be a very thick lizard hide belt, though the belt loops seem to be pulling the belt up rather than the other way around.

assuming that anyone looks at her incredulously, she'll say:
"You guys didn't think Duma was greeting me for a longer time because I'm a girl, did you?"

Gesturing to Duma, Gül adds
"Shall we let Duma lead the way?

Octavia blesses herself and Abel takes a few steps back, but they seem to get more confident when they see Duma is friendly.

"I... I once saw a lion, but its mane wasn't so... hairy. He is beautiful." says Abel, but Octavia seems more interested in the viper.

"Is it yours? Hasn't she bited you?"

Ognos clears his throat rather loudly …

"I hate to put a fly in everyone's ointment,"
"but shouldn't we get Duma, as majestic as he is,"
"get on with finding this child first?"

Michel agrees just as quickly, "Ahem, yes. We should. Duma, Misimba, lead the way."

Misimba takes the great cats into his small hands and gently rests his forehead against Dumas'. A silent conversation seems to pass between the two, for when they separate, the lion begins to sniff the air and ground, casting his head about trying to catch a scent.

Misimba will also help track, using his hunter's animal focus ability (wolf) to gain the scent ability

Survival (track): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

There are a few more minutes before you get to the place where Azad was stolen.

"Here! Here is where they hit me!", says Octavia resolutely. Misimba starts to sniff around, as the couple looks at him oddly. The totem of the jackal comes into him, it's wilderness. He is not completely human anymore, his senses sharpen, and he feels the scent of everyone around him, of the normally imperceptible blood in the dust, and of the fear.

The kidnapper headed north, further into the wilderness, towards the hills.

No wolfs in Africa, so I hope the jackal thingy is OK.

How dark is it?

"Go home my children." Lucius says firmly to Octavia and Abel. "We will return your son to you."

Once the two villagers have left, Lucius turns to the rest of the group. "Now is the time for us to be honest with each other. We have embarked on this... quest... without knowing much of each other or our skills. What can we each do to aid this endeavor? For myself I have some skill with magic, the Lord answers my prayers and I can channel his righteous wrath against his foes. Now we have little time so let us walk and speak." Lucius' tone has shifted again, the kindly priest is slipping and the authoritative prince of the Church has resurfaced. He clearly expects all of you to follow his 'suggestion' as he turns in the direction indicated by Misimba and Duma.

Lucius will have retrieved his scrolls before starting out, although he will not bring Alfonso along.

The couple inmediately refuses to leave.

"No! I mean... We cannot help as much as you and we... we don't know how to track like dogs, but we won't leave him, right?"

"Right, we will be there when you find Azad." confirms Abel.

Ognos addresses Lucius:

"I don't have many spells I can cast. Yet."
"I only recently found out I have both cold and drake magicks in my veins."

"I can cause frostbite," (Ray of Frost, 1d3+2 damage)
"… and knock people senseless with a blast of colour." (Colour Spray)

"In a pinch, I can also sprout claws for a short time."
(Dragon Claws, 1d6 damage, 6 ronds a day)

"I also have some training as an alchemist and as a herbalist."

"I hope that's useful for whatever it is we have to do together."

"I am as I am...a hunter. My people occasionally bond with totem animals. Any "magic" I may seem to have, is simply my understanding of nature."

Gül retrieves and loads a large crossbow from her back.

"I have this."
She says while patting her crossbow.

"And I can use some magic. In my father's book I discovered how strengthen the body for a short time as well as call forth fire.”

Gül examines her rather sharp, strong, and large nails, adding:
"and like Ognos I can also fight with my hands."

Lucius wastes no time arguing with the couple and simply carries on without arguing. After the rest have spoken he nods slowly. "Then we should be careful when we find this witches location. I imagine we will want a little time to cast spells rather than simply running in without thought. Those of us who are not as capable must be careful to stay behind and not obstruct the others. Now," He turns to Misimba, "Where next?"

Michel holds up a fist and pulls his sleeve back with his other hand, showing a muscle pose. "I am a monk. No blood, no problem."

"Lead on, little one." Michel tells the halfling.

Huh....just noticed the post I made this morning is gone.....

Nodding to the western priests, Misimba sniffs the air once again and begins to move off to the north. In the distance, hills can be seen. The halfling hunter starts off slowly, stopping every few steps and casting about for the scent, but within a few minutes he has caught the scent and begins to move faster and faster as the thrill of the hunt courses through his veins. Duma keeps stride with his master, also casting about for the scent and generally communing with his halfling companion as they trot into the wilderness.