Lucanor fights a snort at something said, "Well, if we're going, best get to going."
Kreed blinks a few times, and continues. Alright then. Payden will meetcha with Mutters at the gates in two hours.
Jeebs ushers you out the door and Hecktor feels something being surreptitiously placed into his pocket.
Outside, once they are plenty away from Kreed's residencee, Hecktor searches his pocket/pouch and finds the note. A frown shows clearly.
"Guys, a moment.
This note was placed onto me, saying the slain Eagle Knight was carrying evidence against Kreed. Since we don't have the body, i'd say it's important we find it before either Kreed or Payden does.
Aside from that, the other news i'd have to share is equally unpleasant.
Those two armed guys in there? They're members of a merc group named The Regulators. The slavers we killed were a rotten lot, but these...
They work out of Almas, but serve in Cheliax, the River Kingdoms, Taldor, Molthune among other places. They train to work in pairs so hiring only one is impossible.
I'm not wearing the uniform my employer has his people wear, so i can't say if i drew their attention."
"I agree with Hecktor, finding the message is priority number one. Incidentally on the subject of Payden, a wise man once said 'Keep your friends close, and enemies closer.'"
Silas chews his fingers and thinks furiously and slowly a smile creeps across his face. "I have the beginnings of a plan, but I need to see if Vade has something for sale. I may need to borrow some money from party funds, don't worry its nothing extravagant."
With that Silas heads off to Vade's tower to see if he has a scroll of Sepia Snake Sigil or Explosive Runes for sale...
Niles
This'll be fun. :)
I'll mash something up tonight.
Though, is it something i tell the guys on the spot or something to send you so you can do something with it?
Silas pays Vade and thanks him for finding the Explosive Runes scroll on such short notice. He then takes Jaxom aside and asks him to cast the scroll onto the letter, explaining, "Have you ever heard of a honeypot trap? Idea is simple, you leave tantalising but fake knowledge somewhere you expect your enemy to find it if they go looking. If they do look they get a nasty surprise... I want this to look like an authentic letter to a senior Eagle Knight, but I can't remember the names of any of them! Ah well I'll put 'Dear Friend' on it and scruff it up a little before you use that scroll."
Hecktor shares some detailed info with the others (excluding the jibber and Pay-prick) on The Regulators
"I aught to clarify as to why they are such a nasty lot.
Like the obvious general mercenary details, they distinguish themselves, rather by rumors over practical evidence when it is within Almas itself.
The regulators do even "more" things for pay. Not merely fighting, they do in smuggling, kidnapping, extortion, sabotage, you name the sort, they can be hired for it.
Lucanor...rumors had it these guys even torched an orphanage, luckily the orphans were on a picnic that day, but still. All because some fat-ass merchant wanted to expand his business on that patch of land.
Doing business with them is like walking a rope across a river, you've got to know what you're getting yourself into. Usually the desperate and the wealthy do so, people who've lost or missed something, like....a position of power.", he hints back at the Kreed residence.
"They fight underhanded, ambush, incite riots, usurping a position of power, using innocent people as shields during a retreat or bargaining tool. That would include kids.", he says with a firm look of disgust.
"So,...if Kreed's doing business with them, he's up to something big.
Now, as much as i'd like to put them in their place, maybe have them locked in some hole to live off bugs, i'd like to know the details.
Hell, for all we know they were hired to kill that Eagle Knight in the 1st place."
"We are tricking some one? I like tricks, especially amusing ones. Who do you think will laugh?"
The youth seems eager to help Silas, and he reveals himself to be more than a little naive. Almost as if he is new to this whole interacting with humans thing.
Silas nods and tells him straight, "Those still standing, but something tells me they won't feel like it."
Then Silas tells Hecktor, "The gavel must be desperate to hire those thugs. They're as likely to turn on him as anything else. I knew it was too quiet around here!"
Away from Payday, he whispers to the others, "Kreed was surprised when we took Payden along...also surprised we turned down his gold. Yeah, something odd going on about this whole thing."
Lucanor needs little, having already taken his adventuring gear to the meeting.
"Well we could make a little detour towards the body of that Eagle Knight Jaxom and I found, or at least Lucanor and I could look again, see if we can find anymore tracks or things of interest on him."
Gilmork suggests to the group while they make preparations to leave that night.
When Hecktor mentions the 'Regulators' and their way of doing business, Gilmork looks quite worried and angry at the same time.
"At least we had a few months of peace and quiet. Let's just hope those guys bite Kreed in the back first before they bite the townspeople."
When Silas pats his backpack, Gilmork glances back and sees Paydum teedum walking behind the two of them. Suddenly realization dawned on him. Aha, right. He wants to trick Paydum in trying to steal from us. A stealing sheriff would be quite questionable of course.
Gilmork simply nods at Silas's comment and then makes a small comment. "Good that you could, I couldn't read that scribbled handwriting myself."
"They sound like quite the villains," Jaxom says somewhat vapidly. It wasn't that the youth was stupid, but that all such things were so far outside his realm of experience that burning orphanages and slavery were things of stories and certainly not things that would trouble him.
Silas nods to Lucanor saying, "There's defiantly something heavy going down, but in truth I feel there's a lot going on we have no idea about. Anyway I have a feeling traveling with our new pet viper will be enlightening."
Silas raises his eyebrows at at Jaxoms interjection but keeps his peace for now thinking, let's wait and see what he's like in combat...
Two hours later the party heads to the gates to find Payden Teedum with four unsavory looking men.
You blokes ready for some 'venturing. Teedum says
Two of the men carry longswords and shields, the other two carry halberds and crossbows. They look like they know how to use them.
Silas doesn't look terribly impressed and says, "Do try to keep up."
Silas sets off with at a punishing pace, humming an old marching tune. The party soon find themselves stretching into the stride which for them is effortless. The others have to work hard to keep up.
Gilmork glances over the unsavoury looking men and then back to Payden.
"We agreed to take you with us, not those four 'men' of yours." Gilmork nearly growls behind his mask.
"We know our way around the forest and who is a threat or not. We can't trust your henchmen to do the same. Too many people is also a liability, we would be spotted too soon by whatever killed that Eagle Knight."
Payden chuckles at Gilmork Who said you was da one in charge eh? Deese here is officers of the law. Dey here for your own protection. and then Worry bout yerself, we will be fine.
"They aught to shave, law enforcers i've seen are clean shaven and a model for discipline.", as he neutrally sizes them up.
You'll be fine? I'm suspecting a backstab here.
A fatigued character can't run or charge and takes a penalty of –2 to Strength and Dexterity. Eliminating the nonlethal damage also eliminates the fatigue.
Lucanor keeps moving, pretty damn sure that something cross is coming up now.
The party easily outdistances Payden and the Regulators while on the road, but once they enter the forest the moving gets slower.
However, the party arrives at the Ambush Site without Payden, who gave up trying to catch up and just cursed a bit before heading in the direction of the new lumber camp with Mutters Kondlan in tow.
Silas laughs when Payden and company peel off saying, "Well that didn't last long. Lets go bury this fellow and see if there was anything we missed. Oh and later I'm hoping we can follow Payden's tracks. With any luck they'll run into something dangerous in the forest!"
"Say guys, i'm seeing a certain possible outcome here.
As soon as we find the knight it would be Payden and the 4 beardies picking a fight to leave the corpse be. Save for if it happens i'm not holding back."
"Not sure losing them out of sight was entirely wise, but the air is cleaner at least." Lucanor mutters.
"Just don't be making the first move, Hecktor. I want to be able to swear on a stack of holy books just who started what, if you would."
"Its sore tempting, but you're right. Besides I think its in Paydens nature to strike. Anyway we'd better make sure we're truly alone when we examine the fallen knight. If we are then they probably have zero idea what he was supposed to be carrying. Or they already took care if it."
Gilmork can lead the party back to the ambush site, which smells wonderful after three days in the sun. The ground is all churned up from what you surmise has been scavengers. You search the corpses but find nothing that you could use as evidence.
"No sweat, i won't be the one starting the fight."
Upon the site.
"Somehow i'm not surprised that they'd strip a guy from his valuables."
Silas sighs, "This was always a possibility. Gilmork, I assume he still had his weapons when you found him? In any event we should bury him and leave a mark. Also are there any tracks?"
Edit: Silas gets a spade out from his pack and starts digging.
"Eagle Knight weapons and gear, are they marked as such? Might make it hard to sell. Might be used more for a frame up," He says, though it is clear its just speculation
"With us as the framed "ambushers" and Payden and Kreed as the ones who put them to justice."
When the unpleasant mud men split off from his assigned wards, Jaxom starts looking for some fey presence. If he can spot a grig, pixie, sprite, or other small fey, then he will ask it to keep track of the red-smiled mud man and report back of their doings.
"Lean an fear láib olc leis an aoibh gháire dearg. Dealraíonn sé cosúil go bhfuil sé an namhaid ar na laochra bail ar fónamh orthu. Inis dom cad a dhéanann siad agus a rá cé go bhfuil muid óna chéile."
There are pretty much always fey around.
A sprite answers Jaxom's call and responds
Déanfaimid é seo. Ar chóir dúinn dochar an fear láibe?
Silas buries the eagle knight.
As he lays the slain knight into the grave Silas feels a powerful need to say something, "I never met you in life, yet I feel I should apologise. For the lack of a proper ceremony. You deserve better. The only thing I can say in mitigation is that if it please the gods we will avenge you. Fair thee well sir knight, on your final journey."
Jaxom pauses for a moment, considering the sprite's reasonable question. He stamps his foot in frustration; he doesn't yet understand the music that moves his wards.
"Go raibh maith agat, spiorad onórach. Níl, a dhéanamh chun díobháil na fir láibe ghránna fóill. Tá na bail ar fónamh orthu ar ár Banríona atá deacair a thuiscint, ach má bhí siad dó nach marbh atá acu géaga cumhachtacha? But cabhair dóibh nach bhfuil. Sílim go mbeadh aon cheann bhrón dá nglacfadh na coillte iad."
"He had his armour on at the time, I believe he also had his weapons still with him. I searched him, but alas couldn't find any other evidences as to what exactly killed him or his true purpose at that time." He says to Silas.
Gilmork looks around again to get his bearings and perhaps look for fresher tracks that could mean something.
After filling in the grave Silas is silent for a long moment before saying, "I suppose we'd better get going after Payden. I guess we need to retrace our steps to where they split off unless Gilmork found a trail?"
"I have asked the little folk to spy on the red smile man. He won't get up to any perfidy to which we have not been for-warned."
Silas seems impressed, "They would do that for you? But of course they would. They are very good at staying unobserved too."
Silas leads the party back towards where they left Payden. Payden continued down the Consortium road towards the Eastern Lumber camp. A few hours stretch by and the party arrives at the Eastern camp
The lumberjacks sullenly come to greet the party and one of them points further north as to which way Payden and his allies went. Boss went thata way, took his mercs and Mutters with him. S'cursed it is, I ain't goin in there.
Gonna need some survival checks. 3 of them, can have up to 2 aid anothers.
Jaxom gives Silas a curious look. "Of course they would. I'm the Queen's thistle knight. Though it is important to remember good service and reward them justly. All of fey remember debts owed and services rendered."
"Speaking of which, friend Gilmork, could you find a honey comb for me?"
Hecktor doesn't show it on his face, but the lad's way with words is on his mind.
Sure, coming from the fey, but they raised him to speak like that? If he's a knight...what sort would they then call a barbarian?
It's almost like a kid pulling his uncle's sleeve for something.....a honey comb?..seriously?
Never mind, we've got work to do.
"I'm not sure if I could find a good honey comb inside the forest, most bees don't leave tracks. But If I see any signs of one close by I'll tell you."
Lucanor gave a silent prayer, and then turned to the business at hand.
The party easily catches up to Payden and his men. He snarls Where you been? We on official bizness here, no time for you to be gallivanting in the wood...meeting all sorts of unsavory characters. Mutters says It's just this way
The party makes its way through the brush and undergrowth for another few minutes until they arrive, the smell of death precedes their view of the Camp.
Only a few shafts of sunlight pierce the thick
forest canopy above and smoke hangs heavy
in the air. The trees surrender to a clearing
of hacked stumps and a few wooden buildings
thatched together with rope and logs.
The darkness and smoke here conspire to haze
the whole camp in a gray gloom, like a wispy
dream—or nightmare. The crackling sound of a
roaring fire rides the wind, and obscured buildings
loom out of the miasma like shimmering
living things. Tendrils of smoke curl about the
camp, bringing with them the smells of burnt
flesh and the lingering rot of old death and
tomb dust.
The party walks toward the camp until they reach the approach
Two muddy bits of trail rent in the earth
here fan out around the smoky camp. A few
indeterminate shapes—hills or buildings,
perhaps—lie beyond. Far to the left, a wagon
looms from the haze of mist. The ground
here is strewn with bodies. Men, some torn
to pieces, others killed by a spear through the
heart or eye, lay about the blood-smattered
leaves. Among the dead are the twisted scaly
bodies of a few kobolds.
Map updated