The Pathfinder burst through the door and into find nothing but an empty inn. Along the east wall are two winding staircases that lead to the second floor.
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Xûll surveys the room.
Assuming he finds nothing...
"Shall we be moving then?" asks Xûll, "We should be taking each staircase separately... so we can be cutting off of escapes."
The Shoanti begins to head for the southern staircase, mostly just waiting to hear any objections before striding up the stairs.
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The young man steps cautiously into the unadorned and empty room. Moving quietly, following Xull's suggestion, August draws his greatsword and begins moving to the opposite staircase from the large shoanti. As he steps away from the others, he turns back for a brief moment.
"So, this is definitely a trap, right?" he says with a devious smile. "We're confident enough in our particular skill set to knowingly walk headlong into it, in order to solve this thing once and for all..."
"Else, why would the note intentionally leave out the name of the killer..."
He grins again and continues toward the stairs.
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The Shoanti begins to head for the southern staircase, mostly just waiting to hear any objections before striding up the stairs.
"Yes, we are to be thinking is definitely trap," says Xûll, "But is being hard to trap both stairs. Hopefully, we are being able to rejoin at top. If not, be screaming loud if you are being running into trouble!"
With that, he makes his way up the northernmost set of stairs, having suddenly changed his mind about which stairs to take.
So the Pathfinders make their way cautiously up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, once they reach the second level, they realize that there are rooms lining each side of the hallway that inhibits the group from seeing each other.
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Creeping along slowly, and silently on the pads of the canine beneath him, Pooka points at the north door.
He whispers, "One is as good as any other, right?"
He grips the haft of his halberd a little tighter, ready for a fight to break out at any minute.
we should have come up with something to yell if we get separated... though I doubt we will have any issue hearing each other in this small building...
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Since the idea was indeed to meet up, Xûll elects to go for the southern door, attempting to make his way to his companions. Hoping that Sun will indeed follow close behind him, "Sun, please be looking behind us for pursuit from behinds."
With that, Xûll opens the door - ready for anything.
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Xull opens the door and heads in on quiet feet. Sun stays back for a few seconds to make sure all is well before following in.
As Xull and Pooka simultaneously open their respective doors, a man wielding a knife jumps out. Xull can clearly see the man silhouetted in the door jamb.
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Xûll steps up the 5 feet to the man , and his eyes well up with rage at the sight of this Pathfinder-framing murderer and slashes into the man with all his might.
You are a speck of existence on this world, unworthy of life. Let me end it for you. Xûll wants to say, but all that comes out is, "Raaaaaarrrrrrr!!!!!"
Completely focused on the halfling in front of him, he does not notice the large, and powerful Shaonti approaching from behind. As Xull slashes down, the man gives a bloody gurgle, and a strangled groan before lashing out at the halfling.
His dagger flashes right at Pooka's heart, but reeling from the vicious wound, his blade is turned by the halfling's armor.
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Hearing the commotion and struggle just inside the room, August steps beyond the threshold and draws back on his greatsword. Moments before the blade falls, he hesitates momentarily, fully grasping the tremendous damage already inflicted by the rampaging shoanti.
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Trusting in his armor to protect him from any wayward blows, Pooka darts in right behind August and wheels around, effectively cornering the attacker. He also takes in the two massive wounds already dealt in the blink of an eye, and contemplates whether or not he even needs to swing his halberd.
"Where is the one you hold captive?! Answer quick, before this giant cuts your head off and I can't stop him!" the halfling shouts, with all urgency."[/b]
The Pathfinders are once again in awe of the large Shoanti’s efficiency of destruction. With two passes of his exotic weapon, the man is down in a ever widening pool of his own blood, a surprised expression forever frozen on his face.
The Pathfinders begin to search the man and the room, finding nothing a note on the man nor the room other and a handful of daggers, one of very fine quality. Looking closer they realize that he has a patch of hair missing on the back of his head.
As the Pathfinders descend to the first floor, they can hear loud voices coming from outside the house, as if a large group of people has gathered.
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Hearing the gathering crowd, and knowing this political conflict is about to come to a head, Pooka snaps his fingers, and Luna immediately begins to sniff the floor, searching for anything. Pooka moves around the room, completely unconcerned with the kidnapper for the moment, looking for clues as to where this mystery person might be still held captive.
With that complete, he turns to his friends. "Well, I suppose we had better head down so this can all be explained once and for all."
Pooka Cuyrs'd. You miss my edit
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Rounding the corner just in time to see Xull slice the man down. Almost slipping on some of the blood, Sun reaches down to see if he can stabilize the man before he dies completely. Another man dead, but if we can at least get this one to speak he might be able to redeem us. What is this? A note? . A note being found, Sun will pass it over to someone to read before tending the hopefully not completely dead man.
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Xûll slings the corpse over his right shoulder and goes downstairs to face the crowd. He lays the man carefully on the ground, making sure the shaved patch at the back of his is clearly visible.
"Thank you to every ones for being coming here to be facing murderer who is to be framing us," Xûll says with heartfelt gratitude, "Guard is no doubt to have been telling you of note this man sent as attempts to be trapping us and killing us here. When he is ambushing us and trying to be killing us, we were to be fighting back. Is strange that he was to be able to be killing of townsfolk. Me tapped him only but twice with sword and he is falling over as dead man. Me is sorry you are not to be having chance to be questioning him, but me was defending self and friends.
"If me was knowing he was to be so weak, me would have been gentler when me was tapping him with blade," Xûll isn't so much trying to make light of the situation as he is trying to explain and apologize, "There are being ways of speaking with spirits, and Inquisitor-Ekira is no doubts able to be performing of such ritual if it is being helpful in getting answers and closure."
As Xull brings the body of the slain man outside and lays him on the ground, the Pathfinders can see a throng of locals formed in a semi-circle around the entrance to the inn. They stand ready, armed with their trade tools. They look upon the Pathfinders with disgust, muttering amongst themselves.
"Dun killed Dalton"
"Ekira's god was right, they killed again"
"We should get them before they get us."
"Mayhaps we should get the sheriff."
"I am not tangling with those killers."
Located behind the circle stands Ekira, with the tough from the Tap Room and few of his more able friends.
In the distance, the Pathfinders can see another mass of people coming towards them, but cannot make out any distinguishing characteristics.
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Pooka stands up in his stirrups, putting him still a good foot and a half shorter than the shortest of the throng in front of them.
"Stay your blades! We are not here to fight. In fact we are here to show you that you have been deceived! Some foul plan is afoot to besmirch the name of the Pathfinder society. This letter here shows that someone has deemed to lure us here. This same someone is the one who sent the first letter to our Venture captain, telling him there were ruins to be explored near this town, and the same person who sent the letter to the Mayor. The handwriting cannot be denied, and the simple logic behind this evidence is to clear to refute, particularly for as intelligent as this fair town is."
Pooka speaks slowly, and motions to his companions to voice their defense against what appears to be a growing angry mob. Anything to buy time for the second group to show up.
That other group is either more hangers, and we are doomed anyways, or it is the mayor and our salvation. Better if we can stall until they get here.
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"Pooka be speaking sense, friends," Xûll addresses the crowd again, surprised that Ekira has remained silent, "We are not to be murderers and we are not killing of innocent, hard working folks as yourselves. You are having nothing to be fearing from us. We will happily be waiting for sherif to be arriving and making of events the correct conclusions."
Xûll adopts his previous (and sub-optimal) cross-legged sitting posture on the ground, palms up and with weapons sheathed. Everything about him other than his obvious warrior's build is non-threatening and calm.
"This here is being murderer," he continues, speaking honestly and plainly, "Dalton you are saying his name is being? Otto has said he was being sneaking around and being stranger to town. He was being skilled with arms, but not prepared to be fighting we four. Me is being sorry you are not able to be speaking to him, but me was fighting for life and lives of friends and did not have times to be pulling blows. Ekira or other members of clergy are able to be speaking wi deads. Me is happy to be paying for castings of spells if it is putting minds at rest. Me is also happy to being placed under spells of forcing truths."
With that Xûll remains on the ground, calm and impassive.
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Sun stands behind Xull, slightly off to the side to be clear is Xull were to rush to his feet. Sun makes sure he is ready to cast Obscuring Mist at a moments notice to protect him and his friends and finds which pouch his thunderstone is in just in case he needs to stun the crowd.
"I will also agree to submit to the truth elixirs to prove that we are not the threat here. Desna as my witness, what Xull and Pooka speak here ring true. This man before us has committed these crimes, not us. The Mayor is on his way. Let us wait and let him reside over this hearing so there will be no doubts that the proper justice will be laid out."
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August stands behind the others, but has not sheathed his greatsword yet. He looks back angrily at the gathering crowd, and more importantly, at the weapons each has brought to bare. His grip tightens on the hilt of his blade and as his friends begin to speak in such a way to calm the throng, the young man makes a conscious effort to keep from exclaiming angrily in reply.
These fools, he thinks in disgust. My conscious is clear,if you attack. A disturbing smile replacing his scowl the next moment.
Still standing behind his friends with his weapon drawn, but making no move toward the crowd. Adding in to the final comment of the group, "We have done nothing wrong and will wait patiently for the mayor..."
"But we will also defend ourselves if necessary," he says calmly.
As the pathfinders plead their case, and the large Shaonti that scares the crap out of all the villages sits down, the locals begin to cast furtive glances at each other.
"Never really knew Dalton."
"Who is Dalton?"
"They seem calm for murders."
"Little guys got a letter, what does it say?"
"What the hell is a truth elixir and can I get one for my husband, that cheating bastard."
"What did Otto have against Dalton."
"That handsome blonde man said the mayor is coming. He really should hear the matter."
"I do work hard. Bust my ass to sell grain and my wife is still all over my back, kid wants to learn the sword. Farming not good enough for him."
Seeing the crowd lose it momentum, Ekira moves closer to the crowd, "Let me remind you that my god told me that they would commit murder here. And here we are. The Pathfinders and a dead villager. Just like I told you. I for one am not convinced. They should be arrested and tried."
The Pathfinders can see that the group in the distance has made remarkable time, and will reach them much faster than anticipated. It appears that a short humanoid is in the lead.
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"Let me be reminding Inquisitor Ekira," begins Xûll still calmly seated on the grass, speaking as though admonishing a particularly dim-witted child, "That gods are not being usually taking such personal interests in matters such as this. They are also not to be in habits of having regular conversations with worshippers, however devout these worshippers are being.
"Me is believing that truly you are to be hearing voice," Xûll concedes, "But me is also not believing that voice is voice of any god, certainly not god of laws and good. Such god would be allowing towns laws and law enforcers to be doing jobs, and not tasking upstart inquisitor with overthrowing government and killing of innocent people because of vendetta against Pathfinders for incident either not happening as she believes or at very least happening because of other people than those she is wanting to be killing."
Xûll shakes his head sadly, "Me is believing Inquisitor Ekira's heart is being in right place, but brain is not to be functioning with gnomish accuracy. We are being happy to wait for true law to be arriving and submitting to appropriate judgements. Me is not denying of killing man before me, but me is saying he is being murderer and was trying to be killing of me. Is just that me is being better at it.
"Me was also being concerned for life of person in note - even though me was being sure that note was being traps - was still chance of being someone in troubles."
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August sighs, checking his grip on the hilt of his blade. His eyes scan the crowd wearily, in case they move to grab him or his friends. "Ekira presents no evidence..." the young man says, endeavoring to add more weight to Xull's already eloquent discourse.
"You have proven you will proceed without proof of your accusations, even when the mayor is moments away and can clear up this entire situation. Inquisitor, even if you may be misguided... you are the enemy of truth and justice, any by extension, you are an enemy of the innocent," August says calmly, but his blaze with a fiery hatred for the woman. "And so, you force me to repeat..."
"We will defend ourselves if necessary.
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"For someone supposedly so wise, you really astound me with your inane comments, inquisitor." Pooka states, sitting back comfortably in his saddle.
"To further Xull's point, it isn't murder when you are defending yourself from an attack. I will sleep well tonight knowing my actions are justified. I believe you will sleep well tonight too, but that is because I believe you have no need to justify your actions. I've said it once, and I will say it again. You do your god of justice a disservice, and make her look like a hypocrite with your lies and baseless judgements. Let us wait for the real authority in this town to arrive. He is so close he can probably hear us now. Let him speak on the matter."
The Pathfinders, once again showing extreme restraint in the face of adversity, choose to verbally spar with the Inquisitor. Moments later, a large contingent of villagers arrive, led by Tobias. As he surveys the mob assembled before him, his face clouds in anger.
'What is the meaning of this? How did you all come to be here, and armed at that?"
A low grumble of muttering can be overheard
"Ekira said there was a murder."
"... get my ass out of bed or he'd drag me out."
"Just wanted to see what was going on. Boring listening to Orug's stories day in and day out."
"Was hoping to see Juntin in her nightgown."
"Thought we were going to the Beer Garden."
An ashamed look covers Tobias's face. "Inquisitor, what is the meaning of this?"
She turns her glare on the halfling, "While you were no doubt partaking in your midnight repast, you glutton, I have the well being of Dawntown to preserve. My god told me these Pathfinders would murder again, and tonight. We went to find them and my god has led me here. As you can see they have murdered ... this man."
From somewhere in the crowd can be heard a shout, ""
"Yes here lies Dalton, murdered by these Pathfinders just like the others. Sheriff, I demand that you arrest these men. They should be put on trial for murder just like their friends."
Exhaling sharply, Tobias turns towards the assembled crowd, "People of Dawntown, there has been a gross miscarriage of justice by us. These men before you, I believe with my whole heart are innocent. Recent evidence has come to my attention that proves they are not the murders that the Inquisitor believes them to be."
The Pathfinders can see Otto step forward to stand behind Tobias. He gives a nod of recognition to Xull, and an encouraging smile.
"Citizens," Tobias continues, "Let us hear out the Pathfinder's tale of their innocence, and their comrades' innocence also."
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"Perhaps is best to be starting at beginning..." says Xûll, "Friends in jails, who are being accused of murders, were being sent to Dawnton because of receiving letter. Letter, anonymous letter, was telling of discovering of Sarkorian site nears to here. Our Society is loving of discoveries like this, and sent three Pathfinders (who are being familiar to you) to look into ruins.
"Days later, they are hearing that Pathfinders are being accused of murder. Superiors are then sending us to be investigating and checking if accusations are being true. If true, we are to be letting Pathfinders being hanged. If false, finding way to prove innocence."
Xûll lets someone else step in for the next part of the story.
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"You accuse us of Murder most foul. You seem to contradict yourself. You spew falsehoods that your god has whispered in your ear, telling you that we would commit murder. That is what you said about Kellinbur, so eager to have us arrested and executed on the spot if you could, yet you seemed to completely ignore the fact that at the time of that murder, all 4 of us were with Otto, at his farm, investigating the original scene. How does the one-who-whispers-to-false-gods-pretending-to-be-real-ones answer that simple and obvious logic? The whole town saw the body, and we were no where near the area when it happened."
Pooka states his case using every effort to not appear smug, if only for the sake of the crowd. No sense in rubbing it in. the facts were the facts, but it was the crowd and Tobias that they needed to convince, and turn against this inquisitor. There would be time to gloat later.
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Sun steps up next to Pooka, trying not to tower over the halfling, before speaking his part to elaborate on Pooka's stance. "Just before we left to the farm this afternoon, each of us were around town in full sight of everybody. In the morning I was in Orug's fine establishment. Pooka was visiting with the mayor in the morning. Xull was over at the farm helping with chores and following leads. Augustus was trying to follow, and failing I might add as Ekira saw the whole time she admitted to us, as she walked around town. Then Pooka and Augustus spoke with Ekira in the late morning. Then this afternoon we all went to visit Otto's farm to look for more clues in this case after having a light lunch in the Inn. What pooka says is true. It would be impossible for us to commit any sort of murder. We just were not there at the time it took place." Sun says, his eyes alight with little sparks of lightning as he speaks.
Tobias adds in, "Otto himself can vouch for the Pathfinders whereabouts. I dare anyone in this town to deny that Otto does not speak the truth."
Otto glances around, ready to challenge any who speak ill of him. Ekira stares impassively in the background.
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"This is great point you raise, Sun," August begins nodding in thanks to Sun and mayor, and then turning his cold gaze toward the inquisitor. "Not only were we impossibly separated from the location of the murder, but you, Ekira, can account for our whereabouts and actions prior to us leaving for Otto's farm..."
"You are the most unlikely alibi we could have..." he says with laugh, clearly hoping to push the inquisitors hypocrisy painfully back at her.
"The knife found on the last victim may have been Sun's. We do not deny this fact. But the evidence has clearly shown it could not have been us, beyond any doubt," August repeats his friend's and the mayor's points again, to be sure the small-minded townsfolk, so eager to deal false justice, can hopefully understand the facts. August knows deep down he is actually pleading with the gathered folk for their very own lives, because he knows if they move to falsely arrest himself or his friends, he will not hesitate to cut them down. "The last victim was found felled by a dagger, the man who just attacked us is outfitted with a veritable arsenal of daggers and hidden blades...
Tobias nods at one of his guards. The sea of villagers parts and the guard does a thorough search, finding three additional blades. Augustus shakes his head, and points out a fourth blade, very well hidden.
The crowd "oooh" and "ahhhhs" at this revelation.
The guard adds in, "Not to mention this note was in their room at the inn when we got back. Which matches all the other notes are linked. Which they told be about. Which means they probably didn't do it. Which means I should probably stop talking." he finishes, clearly embarrassed he spoke so much.
"Yes, but what about their friends? People of Dawntown, you voted with a clear conscious, confident in the evidence that they were the murders. What say you know to that?" Ekira intones, moving closer to the victim along with Tobias.
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"Really, Inquisitor Ekira? You are being so blind as to be thinking false god's words are still being true? Even when words are saying we are doing other murder, and clearly we are not?" Xûll speaks as though to a child who has been caught for about the tenth time in the same day putting her hand too close to the hearth flames, when she has been told every time not to or she will hurt herself, "You are clearly taking leave of senses. Me is hoping townsfolk are seeing this.
"But if it is to be helping friends in jails and reversing of incorrect verdict," Xûll inhales deeply from his seated position, "Note pointing to supposed killers was being written in same hands as note pointing us to here. It is clearly being written by dead man Dalton. Not to be mentioning, but Dalton was being seen by Otto snooping around. Me is betting he is to be having shirt with button matching strange button we were to be finding where child was killed."
Xûll flicks the button to the guard examining the body.
"You are wishing to tell of foot marks and story they are to be telling?" Xûll turns to his other companions.