after some time has passed and it wasn't noticed until now that Bahram was missing, he is heard outside wondering where everyone is at obviously in an argument with a guard.
Avenka waits for the guards to answer Anjali and does her best to read facial signs from them.
@Bahram:
Hajar turns to speak with the Princess Ah, yes Mistress. I will stay. Bring the witnesses.
Asif and Hafiz, the guards who are accusing Dashki answer Anjali We saw Dashki leave the wagon of the harrower. He walked briskly until he was behind the Sultan's Claw tree. Then he peered around to watch the action. Suddenly the wagon erupted into flame! Although we didn't see him set any fire, it was as if he KNEW it was about to happen.
Bahram listened to what the lovely Princess had to say. but after the news of loosing someone he felt a bit of relief that he did not approach her as he had originally intended.
Is mind was blank, lost in thought as she explained the situation. her departure brought him back. his last lingering thought was the comparison between the Princess, Almah, and himself.
interesting he muses to himself.
If I may, Bahram interjects, In you opinion, what purpose would there be for him to do such an act? After all, motivation to commit a crime is the key to understanding the criminal.
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"Curious, you say he "peered around the tree to watch the 'action'" with certainty but then end with vagueness. Is there anything else going on during this time? Where were you both when all this was occurring?" As to further hammer the point Yazi will lift her left hand and move her trigger and ring fingers back and forward as she repeats their use of the word "action".
Dhavyn nods approvingly to Bahram's question. Perhaps you do have some brains after all. The princess did mention there is bad blood between Daski and the others. I wonder why.
He takes a sip of tea and frowns at Yazi's words. Brazen. Had to be asked but I wonder if her words are perhaps too direct.
Please do not think my friend here wishes to imply you were involved in lighting the fire..." he trails off. "Still her question is a valid one. Did anyone have time to investigate how the fire started? If not, perhaps one of us should look into it while this conversation goes on?"
Khayal, thus far silent, has been studying the situation as best he can. While he is no wise man nor reader of fates; he takes his appointed task seriously.
Unable to determine the truth of the situation he decides this situation must be determined by logic.
Thinking into the past.
Anjali you said you saw other tracks, a kind you had not seen before, could they be related to the fire? You mentioned they were fresh.
I propose we try to determine what those tracks are. Something yet undetermined at the scene of the fire. Perhaps a couple of us could split off and try to run down those tracks. Or perhaps all of us, there are Gnolls about, correct?
Dhavyn's pleasant countenance cracks for a moment. "Dhavyndor! It's still..." he stops mid sentence looking rather embarrassed for a moment and clears throat again.
"Perhaps I should look into the matter but..." the following words are clearly hard for him "...I may not be best suited for investigative tasks."
Khayal's words make him realize he is interrupting the interrogation and he falls quiet.
Hajar stays silent during the interrogation of witnesses.
Do the guards seem to be telling the truth?
@Brahman as to motive: the guards look at eachother, as if to consider whether to answer.
Asif: Well, Princess Almah spent a lot of time in Eloais' wagon. Some of us thought, well, that perhapse they were having a relationship.
Hafiz: And it's no secret that master Dashki has had sort of a thing for the princess since he arrived.
Asif: snorts and chuckls: Not that the great lady would have anything to do with the likes of him!
@Yazi as to where they were:
Hafiz: Well, we were by the campfire. It was Asif's turn to make dinner for the camp. I was helping him out. I think Dashki thought we were so busy we wouldn't notice him.
Asif: But we are cavaliers of the Kelishite Pactmasters and servants of the the Princess. We are ALWAYS on our guard.
"Well, these men do seem genuine to me. Mes aimes, should we send for the accused man?"
Avenka stays silent as well, but when Khayal talks about going tracking, Avenka says to him:
"I can protect the ones that will go tracking if we split the party, if there is danger around, I'll gladly put some more red on my flail."
And then she remains silent to watch the interrogation unfold.
Anjali makes her way over to stand near Avenka, mindful of all the cushions strewn about in the zraka. Should they decide to track, she was not about to be left behind.
"Do not go without me, Avenka. I found the tracks. I can take you back to where they lead," she says softly.
"No problem Anjali, I will wait for you if we decide to depart."
Dhavyn nods in agreement with Bartan's words. A skilled magus if his spellwork earlier was any indication, and not bad to look at either he muses idly.
"I agree with... Bartan was it? Now would be a good time to question the suspect. Will you stay with me and help questioning him? Your talents in the art of Harrowing could prove highly useful" he flashes a dashing smile at Bartan.
He looks a lot more relaxed and a lot less whiny now that he has had opportunity to clean up and get some food in the system.
The guards explain to Yazi that the body was indeed recoverd, at least what was left of it, and the smell of bar-b-que lamb in the camp that you've been enjoying the last few hours is actually the smell of Elaois' burt flesh. It has been a terrible tragedy.
When Garavel brings Dashki, the accused, in he is almost DRAGGING him. Dashki is a dirty man who smells like wet dog. He snivels and yelps in a strange way and he keeps saying It wasn't me it wasn't me!
When Bartan pulls his harrow card the Gnoll Expert tries hard to defend himself. No! I had nothing to do with the fire! How do we even know the fire was set? That idiot burned a hundred candles in his wagon. perhaps he just got unlucky. We’re in gnoll country. It was probably pugwampis.
Asif smacks him up-side-da head. Then why were you hiding behind the tree, Gnoll Expert?! You are a lurker and I get a bad feeling from you.
Dhavyn utters "האַיוואַיצע מאַגיש" and fixes his gaze on the sniveling man while Asif asks the question.
"Thank you Asif. I would like to hear the answer as well but perhaps your presence here will cause further complications. It might be better if you stepped outside but stayed close in case something... untowards happens."
Hajar speaks in a strange sounding tongue Veste, kaj se je zgodilo potem?
Hajar looks to see the man Dashki's reaction to the Gnollish tongue.
"Please, Asif, we can take it from here. And he has yet to be proven guilty... no hitting." Bartan says, rather meekly. He was thrown off his guard by Dhavyn's smile. Does he like me? I've never... how... Bartan is obviously confused but in no way unflattered.
Anjali's stomach heaves at the new knowledge that the scent permeating the camp was from the missing Varishi. A slim hand flies to her lips in an effort to keep her last meal back where it belongs.
A good thing too, for she leaves it there while they bring in Dashki, fingers slowly creeping up to block her offended nostrils from the malodorous man.
The man's babbling about pugwampis and gnolls makes her eyes narrow in suspicion. He was also protesting his innocence far too vehemently. Anjali drops her hand long enough to say, "I have traveled much on caravans and have not heard of this...this...pugwampis. Why would they...it...be the cause of the blaze?"
With a nod to Khayal acknowledging his earlier statement, she continues, "And if you could enlighten us as to what type of tracks such a person or creature might leave, then perhaps we could determine if pugwampis had anything to do with this tragedy."
Khayal tries to remember what an old tracker once told him about pugwumpis and their feet.
Asif huffs and steps out of the tent muttering: Please heaven, don't let this Gnoll lurker fool them!
Dashki's ear twitches betraying the fact that he understood Hajar, but he does not answer.
@Anjali: Why would pugwampis set the fire? Because that's just what the bastards do! Terrible critters what crawled up from the Darklands below the earth. ‘Jackal rats,’ some folks call ’em, on account of their pointed little heads. They worship gnolls as gods and infest their communities like rats. Wherever pugwampis go, bad luck is sure to follow. The gnolls hate pugwampis because of it, and try to kill them all the time. But they always come back. Perhaps their bad luck caused the fortune-man’s candles to start a fire? Yes, pugwampis. I am certain it was pugwampis. And I wasn't looking at the wagon when it exploded like these guards claim! I was... He falls silent. Never mind.
I have never heard of these... Pugwampis. How much does a pugwampis weigh? And does it crawl on four feet or walk on two?
Bahram listens to this line of questioning paying very close attention when addressed in Gnoll.
(sense motive)
Bahram seems to understand gnoll but he does very well to not let others know
eventually Bahram asks a question of the accused.
So, what did you see? In her tent
it didn't take much considering the layout of the camp. what this man was dong in the area before the fire started, and its probably something Bahram would have been doing himself, given the situation.
Bahram tries to get a look at the wall of the tent that is closest to where the fire started.
With a low growl, Avenka asks Dashki:"You were 'WHAT' never mind when it exploded?... Help yourself and spit it out, it's no time to play the mysterious man."
Do not waste our time. It would be best for you to tell us.
@Khayal: The little nasty creatures go on two legs. If you let me lead you I'm sure we could find their tracks not far up into the hills.
Dahski wets himself with Avenka and Khayal in his face. The second guard rolls his eyes and storms out in disgust. Bahram hits it right on the head and Dahski admits what he was doing.
All right. I was looking in to Almah's tent. If you look just right you can see into her bed chamber. But I didn't start the fire.
The man is a sniveling mess of embarrassment and shame at this point. You doubt there is much more to be learned from him.
Anjali rolls her eyes, disgusted at the man's actions.
"I have seen these odd tracks leading away from camp and into the hills. Perhaps we should all see if these pugwampis do exist."
Loudly to Dahski: Very well, show us the tracks, and maybe, maybe you can redeem yourself.
Whispering to Dahski: And if you need lady advice ask Bahram; he is like a brother to me and has always been decent with the ladies.
Pathetic...Dhavyn forces himself to think even if a brief chill goes down his own back thanks to Avenka's and Khayal's combined display of indimitation.
He ignores the twinge of fear and interjects "It may be a good idea to see the tracks but is it wise to follow them in the middle of a night? Whatever these pugwampis are they do not sound like pleasant sort. We will need light and on open space like this it will attract every hostile creature within miles."
"We would be walking targets, and who knows, this man might still be an associate of them despite of his claims. Right?" he adds looking a bit anxiously at others.
That has not been proven. I believe all we have here is a case of the wrong place at the wrong time. He probably was doing just what he said, peeping in on the lovely Princess, which I can't say I would blame him, He noticed something, possibly these little creatures and bolted. stopped to see if he was followed and BOOM fire.
Bahram looks to everyone, we are supposed to be unbiased, and believe me I have been in situations like that before.
so where exactly is this spot in the tent walls?
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Yazi will give the rogue a flick to the side of his head with her fingers before speaking up about the Pugwampis. "Pugs? Pugs don't set fires, they're adorablely useless little bundles of fluff and rolls..."
"... Oh! Pugwampis! That's differant, although now I'd wish we were dealing with a band of roving arsonist pugs."
Bartan turns to his fellow judges. "As much as I detest that this man was spying on the princess, he does seem to be genuine. I agree that we should investigate the tracks. As for you," he says, giving Dhaski the most whithering look he can, "the princess will have to decide what punishment you deserve for your actions. But we will tell her that you were not the arsonist, at least." He turns back to his allies once more. "Could you inform the princess of our findings, my friends? Lady Anjali and I have a harrowing to perform."
With that, Bartan motions to Anjali. "Come, my lady, and I will read the cards for you." INSERTING THE HARROWING THAT WAS MIS-TIMED EARLIER:
Bartan picks out 9 cards, shuffles them, and lays them before him. "Please, pick one of these."
"Ah, the Unicorn! Cherie, this card suits you well. Lovely and rare."
RoleCard: 1d9 ⇒ 3 The Unicorn, Chaotic Good, Charisma
TopLeft, Lawful Good, positive past: 1d54 ⇒ 7 The Fiend (Lawful Evil, Strength)
MidLeft, Lawful Neutral, unclear past: 1d54 ⇒ 44 The Mute Hag (Neutral Evil, Wisdom)
BottLeft, Lawful Evil, negative past: 1d54 ⇒ 51 The Courtesan (Chaotic Neutral, Charisma)
TopMid, Neutral Good, positive present: 1d54 ⇒ 46 The Empty Throne (Lawful Good, Charisma)
Middle, True Neutral, unclear present: 1d54 ⇒ 12 The Juggler (Chaotic Good, Dexterity)
BottMid, Neutral Evil, negative present: 1d54 ⇒ 20 The Survivor (Neutral Good, Constitution)
TopRight, Chaotic Good, positive future: 1d54 ⇒ 46 REROLL
MidRight, Chaotic Neutral, unclear future: 1d54 ⇒ 4 The Forge (Lawful Neutral, Strength)
BottRight, Chaotic Evil, negative future: 1d54 ⇒ 1 The Paladin (Lawful Good, Strength)
Rerolling TopRight, Chaotic Good, positive future: 1d54 ⇒ 36 The Snakebite (Chaotic Evil, Intelligence)
Bartan flips the left column. "Interesting. The misaligned Fiend suggests that some great evil in your past has been averted, while the Courtesan in this position suggests through that action, you fell from social grace in some way. Why, I can't imagine such a thing happening to you, though."
He flips the middle column. "The ghost of the empty throne suggests that you have lost someone in your life recently, but they will always be with you in spirit. However, the gravity of that loss is emphasized by the misaligned Survivor, here."
He finally flips the rightmost column. "Oh my, the misaligned Paladin here is a strong signal to make some sort of significant change in your life, for staying on your current path will lead to disaster. Combined with the Forge in this position, it strongly suggests to me that you will need the strength of many to change your path and lead yourself toward the light of truth."
Bartan bows to Anjali. "I apologize that your reading does not bring the good tidings that our friend Khayal's did, but the cards have their own minds, as much as I wish I could influence them."
Dhavyn rubs his chin and winces at how scruffy his beard has gotten. "Fine. He may or may not be guilty of the crime he is being accused of but that's up to princess as Bartan says. We are here to present the facts. Still I'm somewhat worried about a judicial system that leaves interrogation in the hands of strangers..." he huffs.
"I'll inform the princess while you investigate the tracks" he states bluntly. His gaze follows Bartan and Anjali as he prepares to hurry off. You can see the frown is back on his face.
Anjali follows along behind Bartan and settles herself cross-legged onto a cushion across from him to watch the harrowing. She was just about to fish for some coins in her pack when the card reader simply begins without asking for payment. The Badawi girl bows her head, wordlessly acknowledging his small kindness. After the Taldan's constant grousing, and the chaos of the fire, it was nice to have a few moments of peace.
Bartan's idle words about the unicorn card starts a flush in her neck that slowly creeps up and settles in her cheeks. All she can do is duck her head, allowing her hair to fall forward to hopefully cover them. She feigns interest in the intricate designs on the cards.
As the reading unfolds, Anjali starts worrying at her bottom lip. Bartan's reading clearly hits its mark. The sheen of unshed tears glazes her amber eyes when he gets to the middle column. Memories crowding her head nearly make her miss the last part.
Once Bartan was done with his reading, she swallows hard a few times before replying, her head still bent over the cards. "I always thought these things were mere tricks. I was in need of a diversion. But your cards reveal some truths. This has happened to me," she says, touching the first column. "And I have indeed lost someone very dear to me - my mother." Anjali's voice gets even huskier, but she elaborates no further. "I do not fully agree with your last reading. I prefer to think that I have already made a very large change in my life and that has led me here."
Anjali rearranges a card's position before finally looking up at the Varisian. She forces another smile for him despite the results of the harrowing. "Do not worry. This is who I am. I shall prevail." Moving her hand away reveals the Survivor card now eclipsing the Unicorn card that she pulled in the beginning."I thank you for looking into my future, Bartan. For now though, we should follow those tracks as soon as we are able."
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"If you'll excuse us for a moment." Yazi will soberly say before staggering to her feet. She'll give the empty insides of her tea cup a quizzical look before she leaves for the outside, Doc trailing right behind her. Upon exiting she'll spend a few moments to take in the much calmer scene before making her way around the campsite, keeping an eye out for any of Eloais' cards.
The journey has been long and Garavel sees you to your accommodations: basically getting your bed rolls off your camels and laying them out for you. Lying under unfathomably vibrant stars round a private fire that's been started for you all, you recap the days events in your mind (which you may post if you want) then drift to sleep. In the morning a new chapter in your lives will begin in service to Princess Almah of Katapesh!
Now for us geeks...
+1d10 that Bartan rolls.
-1d10 that Bartan rolls.
+1d4 that Bartan rolls.
Princess Almah claps her hands. Lamb and honey-mead are brought for you by the serving girls. And a strange midget in the corner begins beating a soft desert tune on a drum and playing a snake-charming pipe for mood music.
Avenka ponders alone the possibility of going tracking at this time of day. Like Dhavyn said earlier, we would be targets with our torches lighted in the dark, but in the other hand, the vile creatures would take a long advance on us. Maybe, Avenka thinks, some wizard or sorcerer (all the same to her) have a spell that would make them see in the dark without illuminating all around ?
She certainly will not be the one to ask though, she once tried to find such a solution with a distant wizard fellow, and he raged in a second, screaming to her to mind her own business, that a mere barbarian would not tell him what to do, and so on...
She will wait, wandering around just to see that everything is alright.
---------Avenka----------
As Avenka walks around the Sultan's claw she finds everyone asleep but Asif, who sits a few yards outside the light radius of camp by the Weapons Wagon you all saved this evening. He's trying to stay awake. He's guard-o-the-watch and he looks tired. You see steel weapons just poking out from under the animal skin tarps covering the wagon.
---------Yazi------------
You find 2 silver candlesticks: the kind of thing you'd expect to find in a Varisian Harrowers' wagon. Each is worth 10gp. You also find a crystal ball.
All papers, momentos, and racey pictures of Almah (if there were any) must have been burned in the fire. Doc smells an unfamiliar smell. If asked about it he would point north.