Rushing up alongside Niadroub, Xan positioned herself to strike at anyone trying to squeeze past the nigh-indecipherable arcanist.
"Drop your weapon, now!" she called out, seeing the masked individual.
The man in the red mask sheathes his sword. He had one big advantage over Xantria, he knew how she fought. Richard couldn't take her in a fight but the Crimson Claw was an unknown quantity, he moved differently but she was the same. With no weapon in hand he feinted before diving between Xantria's legs... and really hoped she didn't stab him.
Pleasantly relieved not to get skewered to the floor by the expert swordswoman. As he tumbled to his feet he motion with his hand for them to follow him not taunting but urgent. He needed them outside that area of silence.
Xantria & Niadroub you have heard rumors about a masked man helping locals lately, little more than that though.
CC is out of the room, Grigori is bleeding. What is everybody doing now?
"What the hell are you all doing running upstairs?!" - he roared as he broke out the main door.
After a quick glance at Grigori to make sure he's not in any immediate danger, Niadroub Kliip follows the masked man. When he hears sound again, he asks the man, "Whet's going oon?"
In his haste, compounded by the chaos of the situation, Colwyn fails to notice that the masked man's sword is bloodless. He merely sees a shady character holding a blade, standing above a bloodied man, and fleeing the scene. He does not give chase though, his route cut off as Xantria and Niadroub pursue the masked man.
This pause gives Colwyn time enough to recall rumors heard around the Toad and Stag, including snippets even good Richard had mentioned. If he's some do-gooder, then a murder doesn't make sense. Then again, silencing the malcontent would be good news for governing the republic, so Colwyn entertains the notion that this man has just done him a favor.
However, his old criminal past wells up. With a start, Colwyn suddenly realizes that he is now the man holding a sword above a bloody body.
"Bloody hells," he groans, sheathing his rapier.
With flickers of the memory of saving the bandit in that overrun fort, so long ago, the Toad leaps into action to try to save Grigori's life. Since his skill at bandaging wounds has not improved in the intervening months, Colwyn does not trust the man's fate to such poor odds. Instead, he fumbles amongst his pockets and withdraws the small healing draught he carries.
"You had better appreciate this," he says to the gurgling man while uncorking the flask before pouring it down his gullet.
"Grigori tried to get an assassin into bed with him Kliip. I raied the alarm and got stabbed for my troubles. She sprinkled something on herself and went invisible. I can't follow her tracks... got some trick up your sleeve to deal with it?" I really hope he does... a skilled assassin running around town will be a significant problem.
There's a long pause where Niadroub Kliip makes eye contact with Xantria, trying to convey his concern and read any she might have. He turns back to the masked man.
"Mebbe. If we fend her, I kin mek her veesible, again. Gimme a sec.
"Cen you or Reeknur fend her treks?" he asks Xantria.
Grigori accepts the potion with a grimace of thanks when he recognizes who is giving it to him.
Colwyn as you move towards Grigori you brush against someone unseen for a second, they are moving towards the opened window as quietly as they can.
Crimson and Xantria both hear as slight creak from the floorboards twards the window.
What are you doing now
As soon as someone points out where they heard the creak, Niadroub Kliip bathes the entire area with glitterdust.
The masked interloper points towards the spot by the window."There!" Drawing a dagger he hurls it about three foot off the floor careful to line the shot up so that if it hit nothing but air it would stick into the wall.
Xan wasn't happy about working with a vigilante and never fully dropped her sword while listening to him. That was when she heard a floorboard creek when it really shouldn't have.
Following after the Claw's dagger and Niadroub's spell, she lashed out at where she believed the invisible assailant was.
"Hold it right there," Colwyn bellows as he reaches for the unseen person.
In his old life, he might have shivered in superstitious fright, spooked at the prospect of some ghostly or fey presence haunting him. However, he has much changed over the course of nearly a year. Owing to the experiences with his friends and his newfound faith in Erastil, Colwyn is no longer afraid to confront what he cannot see.
Suspecting some invisible malefactor trying to escape involvement in this affair, Colwyn attempts to grasp them and keep them from fleeing.
Niadroub's spell does not blind the invisible woman, but she is outlined by the glowing motes, Crimson Claw and Xantria both hit the woman and she slumps to the ground dying.
Reknar. Outside you see bystanders willing about in confusion, one recognizes you and hurries to explain. "This masked fellow ran into the street shouting about murder and pointing up there." He indicates the inn window. "Then he climbed the wall like a ferret up a drainpipe. An these two woman just up and threw daggers at him! He got hit but got inside and they ran off in a hurry that way."
He points excitedly to a nearby alley.
What are you doing now?
"Thank you!" - Reknar nods at the bystanders and runs up to the alley entrance to peer inside.
The claws tears up some sheets on the bed to provide bandages and bindings for the woman. He began trying to staunch her bleeding. "The woman tried to kill Grigori. After I heard about his pronouncements I considered him worth keeping an eye on. It seems I'm not the only one."
"Eet wouldn't look good foor es if he died," Niadroub Kliip muses, oblivious to the rabble rouser standing right next to him.
"Tie her up, then feed her this," the aasimar said as she handed the Claw a healing potion.
The Claw uses some of the strips of cloth to tie up the woman before pouring the potion into her mouth.
Colwyn looks around nervously, finding his hands grasping nothing but air. Looking out he window into the night, he finds the commotion has moved outside. Although he can still make little sense of the situation, he concludes that the danger is not breathing down his back.
"Get up, you lout," he says to Grigori, offering a hand to help him stand. "Let's get you downstairs where folks can keep an eye on you in case someone else comes for you. I want to find out what the devils is going on here."
Colwyn offers, stopping just short of insisting, to escort Grigori to the common room below. If the rabble rouser refuses, Colwyn shrugs and heads downstairs alone to rendezvous with his allies and gain some clarity.
"You seem to have matters in hand now. I'll take my leave. I'll be nearby for a time in case there are other assasins about." The crimson garbed figure begins clambering through the window and upwards towards the roof.
Reknar you see nothing in the alley, but the surface is soft soil so tracking might give you a lead?
Crimson claw. While binding the woman you discover she has an unholy symbol under her seemingly normal townswomen's clothing. The symbol of a single bloodshot eye?
Gyronna.
Titles The Angry Hag
Alignment Chaotic evil
Portfolio hatred, extortion, spite.
The goddess Gyronna is also known as The Angry Hag, and for good reason. She is not a popular deity as many fear her and her clergy, which is entirely female These are usually the throwaways of society: disfigured prostitutes, wives caught in adultery, pregnant teenagers disowned by their parents, and so forth. Priestesses are renowned for their ability to foster hatred and turn friend against friend.
What are you doing now?
Reknar ponders following the tracks, but waits for the others before doing so - "Guys! Out here!" - he calls out to them.
The Claw stops and lifts up the unholy symbol with his fingertips. "Gyronna the Angry Hag. Her priestesses foster hatred... likely trying to pin his death on your leadership."
You all hear Reknar calling for you from outside the window.
You have a bound and unconscious woman and a nervous rabble rouser in the room with you,.
The masked man has just shown you some startling information as well.
What are you doing now?
The Claw rolls back out the window and starts climbing down into the street to see what Reknar has found.
Reknar draws his weapon as he sees the hooded figure coming down toward him - "Hey! And who would you be?!"
"Well congratulations to you all," Colwyn hisses loudly to the masked man, Grigori, the unconscious woman, and everyone else in the common room. "I am a heartbeat away from breaking a surprisingly long sobriety. Who knew I would miss having my leg stuck in old Crackjaw's mouth?" he asks, jerking a thumb towards the large turtle shell mounted upon the wall of the Toad and Stag.
He rubs his forehead as though he could banish the stress, but of course it is futile. He slaps his palm down upon the table and turns to Grigori.
"First off, if you want us to continue protecting your miserable life, you had better keep your mouth shut and swallow whatever vitriol you have for our leadership. As for you," he says, turning his burning eyes and accusatory finger to the Crimson Claw, "I want to know your stake in our business."
Not completely out the window when he is questioned by both Reknar and Colwyn the Claw does his best to give one answer for both questions. "I guess you could say I'm a concerned member of society trying to foil wicked schemes like this assasination."
"My stake is the good of the common man I suppose you could say. I've no ill intent towards you or your peers but someone clearly does and I aim to find out who. I'm willing to work with you on this issue.. if you want the help."
In the Inn.
"No need to worry about that!" Grigori says shakily, still wincing and moving carefully. "I'm leaving as soon as I can. Being hired to stir up unrest and weaken your rule is one thing. Being the sacrificial goat in a murder setup is another!"
He begins packing hurriedly. "And before you ask I do not have any idea who hired me to do this. All the signs point to Fort Drelev to the west, but so many cutouts were used any trail is likely to be a false lead."
Grigori is absolutely sincere. He doesn't know who hired him to come here and rouse trouble against you.
What is everyone doing now?
"Relax Reknar; we're not interested in this masked guy. For now." Xan called down from the window before turning back to anyone else still in the room with her.
"And it sounds like Grigori is telling the truth; he was rabble-rousing for hire. Let's fill the others in on this." Hauling their spellcasting prisoner along with her, Xan went down to meet with Reknar outside.
The Crimson Claw descends down the outside of the building and moves to help Reknar when he follows the tracks.
Niadroub Kliip casts message on Xantria, letting the party know that he'll try to catch up. Then he puts his hand on Grigori's shoulder.
"Ef you leave right effter being ettecked, eet will look lek we droove you out. You ken leave, but first, we hev a coople dreenks doownstairs. Enybody esks what heppened, you answer hoonestly. Theen we're doone."
The arcanist will insist on this course of action until the rabble rouser agrees. Then, in the common room, Niadroub Kliip plies Grigori with his family's swamp-moonshine. He'll allow a beer chaser, if the bard insists.
Reknar. You follow the tracks until the alley reaches a more heavily used road and you lose the footprints in the mess.
Grigori mutters something about attmpted murder when he is plied with Moonshine, hjis eyes cross and he goes white on the first taste.
What are you doing now?
"Crap" - Reknar grunts, and stands there for a moment looking around.
If he finds nothing, he doubles back to meet up with the others - "What's with the mask?" - he asks casually to the Crimson Claw as they return.
"In a nutshell? I like to stick my nose into the business of scum and so they would like to break it. It lets my sleep easier at night knowing they don't know my face. I usually try to remain unseen but... I could not stand idly by when an assassination unfolded before me even for a rabble rouser for hire like Grigori."
Despite the stress of the evening, Colwyn maintains his sobriety. He contents himself with tea as he makes nice with Grigori. Even though some of the smiles and laughs have a shred of sincerity, he will certainly not miss the rabblerouser. Perhaps it is best that Grigori will never know that at least one of the ruler's grins is fueled by wondering what painful misadventures will befall the itinerant man once he leaves the Republic of the Kamelands.
Let him get himself killed outside my jurisdiction, Colwyn reasons before putting the thought aside as too bitter.
Colwyn returns his attention to the Crimson Claw. He agonizes over the notion of a vigilante in his domain. While Grigori meddled merely with words, the masked one intended to be a man of action. Nevertheless, at least for now, their aims seemed to be in sync.
Reknar has a moment of luck, one of the women has a slight mark on the sole of her shoe, just enough that he can pick out the trail even on a busy street.
Grigori is simply staying quiet and drinking, his close shave clearly weighing on his mind.
What are you doing now?
"I think I still have their track" - Reknar adds, then continues following - "Look sharp"
The masked man assists Reknar in tracking them down.
Still wary of the vigilante, Xan nevertheless followed along to find the women who seem to be trying to bring their kingdom down.
Colwyn tarries in the Toad and Stag, retrieving his full complement of gear from his room. Outwardly, he insists that he is protecting Grigori.
"I may not agree with what he spouts, but I won't allow some wretch to up and kill him for it," Colwyn explains to the locals who have gathered at the inn to investigate the commotion. He points to a trapper he recognizes by face if not by name and commands, "Summon the guard if they are not already on their way."
Of course, inwardly, if there are assassins running about, Colwyn is not keen on making himself a target by skulking about any benighted streets. Once the would-be killer has been cornered, upon receiving Niadroub's Message, Colwyn will lead the guard to arrest the woman - or collect her remains.