Green drops unconscious under the blows of colwyn, Reknar & CC.
Blue casts another spell. Centered on Colwyn and effecting Xantria & Reknar.
Sound burst
Colwyn & Xantria are Stunned this round.
The party may now act.
The masked man moves over to the only cultist able to see, deciding to repay her with a quick strike.
Narrowing his eyes at the masked man's silence in response to his question, Niadroub Kliip draws his mace and moves next to the remaining blinded cultist.
Once positioned, he'll attack the cultist if she tries to cast a spell.
Reknar steps over the fallen enemy, and wades in on the next blind one - "You still don't want to surrender, huh?"
The fight is confusing in the cramped area, but you finally overwhelm the four women. Rendering them unconscious and binding them. All bear the the unholy symbol of Gyronna.
Treasure:
MW dagger. (4)
Unholy symbol of Gyronna (4)
What are you doing now?
"We need to take them somewhere we can talk. I can think of a couple of questions" - Reknar pipes in - "And one way or another we need to take them to the guard" - he adds - "Let's go" - he gets ready to move out, then takes a second look at the Crimson Claw.
"What about this one?" - he asks the others - "Friend of yours?"
Colwyn lifts one of the holy symbols off the captured cultists with the tip of his rapier, unwilling to touch the ill-omened trinket with even a gloved hand.
"What do you make of this icon? I recognize it not, nor do I like the looks of it," he grimly asks. An impish smile suddenly blooms upon his face, though. "I am, however, looking forward to summoning our guards to help drag these witches from their hole and putting them on display. We will remind our settlers that they have nothing to fear from such spiteful creatures."
Though the fight is won, Colwyn still eyes the Crimson Claw warily, not yet entirely sure of the masked man's mind. He asks Niadroub to accompany him as he retrieves the guards, trusting Xan and Reknar to keep an eye on the vigilante.
Tearing his eyes away from his own distrustful gaze of the Crimson Cowl, the arcanist accompanies Colwyn.
"Eet doon't make sense thet soo meny people hev a prooblem with our toown in the meedle of the woods," he mutters as they walk the streets to collect the guards.
Colwyn lifts one of the holy symbols off the captured cultists with the tip of his rapier, unwilling to touch the ill-omened trinket with even a gloved hand.
"What do you make of this icon? I recognize it not, nor do I like the looks of it," he grimly asks. An impish smile suddenly blooms upon his face, though. "I am, however, looking forward to summoning our guards to help drag these witches from their hole and putting them on display. We will remind our settlers that they have nothing to fear from such spiteful creatures."
"What the heck do you mean 'putting them on display'?" - Reknar grunts, picking up one of the holy symbols and turning it over in his hand.
"It's your kingdom, but don't you think you're pushing the public displays of 'justice' too far?" - he adds, then turns back again on the Crimson Claw.
"No one seems bothered that you're around, AND wearing a mask" - he shrugs - "They're the bosses, and I'm told we are not 'interested' in you" - then looks the man over again - "So... I guess we leave it at that. I am Reknar - thanks for drawing blade with us against these by the way"
Zelera had been around this town for a week or so, she was sure it was where she needed to go, when she had that unfortunate incident with the drunk man groping her. He spilled his bear all over her favorite shaw, one that had been given to her by Tiny Mother Freenia, it was hand knitted from spidersilk and very precious to her. This was the only laundress around who could supposedly clean it and she took it there the day before. She was supposed to come by today and pick it up but naturally the place was surrounded by guards.
It took her some effort but Zelera managed to find an opening, made a small distraction to get the guard to look the other way, and slipped inside the building when no one was looking. That what she did might be illegal never entered her mind and she had no problem looking for her shaw herself when she found the place deserted. As she made her way through she could hear a ruckus from somewhere in the building but it sounded far away and didn't bother her as she began rummaging through the clothing racks looking for her shawl. Needing a little more light to find it with in this dimmer area she cast a simple prayer to her god asking that he light an earring she was wearing and used the extra illumination to finally find what she was after.
Zelera examined the garment carefully she still owed that bumbling buffoon for what he'd done and if he had caused damage to this precious item he was going to pay in spades. She didn't realize how tense she had been when she realized they had done a great job and breathed a sigh of relief letting all of her built up tension out with it. She realized that the ruckus had stopped and decided that maybe she should go see what it was all about.
The strange woman that was Zelera, not realizing that there was a reason the place had been ringed with guards, didn't even think that maybe she shouldn't be going any further into the place and she didn't think to douse her light when Colwyn and Niadroub were coming up the stairs just as she reached them. She saw the two standing there and froze a moment before asking, "Um, what was going on down there? Sounded like someone was having an awful good party down there but it seems it's over now." She cocked her hips to one side, planted a hand on the out thrust one, and smiled brightly as she said, "Anything I can do to help?"
It was easy for the two to see that Zelera was armed only with a dagger and wasn't wearing any armor. She stood about 5'4" with long wave black hair that reached her rear and hazel colored eyes. She wore a close fitting white blouse that left her shoulders and an expanse of her cleavage bare covering enough to be barely considered decent as well as a short red skirt reaching barely to her that was loose enough to spin up when she turned as well as a white shawl wrapped around her neck and hanging down her back. She had on a pair of leather boots that reached almost to her knees and had a slight heel to them raising her height an inch or so. Around her neck was a a strange medallion on her neck that hung below the level the white shawl shaped like a lantern with gold paint on it and what seem to be points of colored light inside of it.
"That one was the assasin." The masked man says after looking over the subdued women. "It wasn't too easy to see with all the commotion."
He looks up as the scantily clad woman calls out. "Nothing to be worried about, The excitement is over now. Just some trouble with a corrupt cult bent on murdering people."
The new arrival had Xan somewhat on edge, particularly after their recent scuffle.
"I thought we had guards posted outside to secure the place while we were down here?"
"We deed," Niadroub Kliip replies as he reloads his crossbow.
As he leaves the cellar, Colwyn calls back to Reknar, "We're not talking about a public execution. I mean to merely put them in the stocks for a spell." He turns to Niadroub before, more quietly, asking, "Do we have stocks, right?"
Back on the ground floor of the laundress' shop, Colwyn's face contorts as he sees the strange new woman before him. He claps his hand back to the hilt of his rapier, prepared for a fight with another cultist.
Colwyn still knows little of religions aside from Old Deadeye, but he recognizes that the symbol this woman openly wears is markedly different from that of the cultists below. Upon noticing this, the ruler eases slightly. He slides his hand from his hilt, but he hitches his thumb upon his belt, thus keeping his blade within quick reach.
"She is not one of them," he says to his comrades. "She wears a different symbol. All the same, I am quite curious about what she is doing here. Why don't we start with your name, my dear?"
Zelera looked at the three with curiosity as they spoke of guards and seemed wary enough of her to put their hands near their weapons. At least the one who seemed like he was in charge was somewhat polite. Still he did ask for her name before giving his own which wasn't very gentlemanly. After a moments thought Zelera replied, "As for why I am here I came for my shawl," she let rubbed the tips of her fingers against it as she mentioned it, "which I had needed to get cleaned after some oaf spilled his wine on it. I was supposed to come pick it up today so here I am."
As Zelera spoke to the group her common had the strangest accent to it that anyone with knowledge of such things said she only learned the language recently. She paused a moment to consider how to answer the second question before she said in a teasing tone, "as for my name, it's rude to ask without giving your own first." Her tone became much more serious as she continued, "Even more Names have power and so I will tell you a part of my name." She sounded less tense as she finished, "You can call me, Zelera."
"Do we have stocks, right?"
"I'll loook eento it."
Colwyn moves his hands away from his blade and onto his hips, standing askance with an ambiguous smirk on his face.
"Well, Miss Zelera, I suppose you're right. I am Colwyn Orlack, Lord-Mayor of Thornford and Baron-Consul of the Republic of the Kamelands. I run the place."
The toad allows his smile to grow and he puffs up his stature, hoping to impress the woman. When it becomes apparent that this will not work, he slackens his posture and eases his smile. With an awkward air, he attempts to deflect the subject.
"Anyhow, for what it's worth, that is a very nice shawl. You made the right choice getting it properly cleaned, even if I suspect you did not pick the most reliable of laundresses to do the job," he adds, surveying the closed shop.
Zelera gave Colwyn a smile and nod in greeting when he gave her his name and station. It was fairly obvious that she had no clue who he was or what his title meant exactly. At least until he said he ran the place. She figured he didn't mean the shop they were in and assumed he meant the town as a whole.
Zelera recognized his efforts to draw himself up and look impressive easily enough. She seen young sprite bucks do that when trying to impress her sisters and knew it for the posturing it was. Because he seemed so serious she didn't laugh at his efforts and let him change the subject.
As the man complimented her shawl Zelera nodded and said, "Thank you, I'll be sure to pass your compliments on to its maker when I can." She looked to the other man with him and asked, 'Who is he?"
Niadroub Kliip sets the latch on his crossbow with a satisfying click and sockets a bolt into place.
He meets her eyes for the first time and says, "I doo the megic. End the booze," before moving past her to go find the guards they had stationed outside the building. He berates them for letting a civilian in, and then he has them come and secure the cultists.
Then he goes to find a craftsman who can whip up four stocks.
Reknar passes by the amicable gathering, dragging two captives along - "So the guards just let you in, no questions asked, so you could pick up your shawl? Nice one" - he lets out a raucous laughter and shakes his head, then continues on his way up, catching up to Niadroub as he is 'addressing' the stationed guards.
When Niadroub mentioned being a spellcaster and a drinker Zelera grinned and said, "Oh you sound like you could be fun. We'll have to talk later."
Zelera rolled her eyes at Reknar's sarcasm and said, "No, they didn't just let me through but getting past them wasn't hard." She paused as she tried to decide if she should elaborate and then said, "It's possible that he thought that I was a messenger with an important missive that couldn't wait...and he might have thought that my flirting meant I'd sleep with him after the message was delivered." Her expression was innocent as she continued, "how he ever came to that conclusion I don't know."
Zelera watched as Reknar went to go "address" his guards, and then glanced aside at Colwyn, "Is everything alright here? It sounded like fighting down there and I am able to cast curative magics."
Zelera watched as Reknar went to go "address" his guards, and then glanced aside at Colwyn, "Is everything alright here? It sounded like fighting down there and I am able to cast curative magics."
"We pursued a would-be murderer, and she led us back to the hidey-hole of her entire murder cult," Colwyn summarizes, still ignorant of the exact nature of the cultists' worship. "Can't have such nastiness lurking around. Not in my town."
Zelera rolled her eyes at Reknar's sarcasm and said, "No, they didn't just let me through but getting past them wasn't hard." She paused as she tried to decide if she should elaborate and then said, "It's possible that he thought that I was a messenger with an important missive that couldn't wait...and he might have thought that my flirting meant I'd sleep with him after the message was delivered." Her expression was innocent as she continued, "how he ever came to that conclusion I don't know."
"I'm sure you don't" - Reknar is chuckling this time, as he moves with Niadroub to retrieve the remaining of their captives.
Zelera watched as Reknar went to go "address" his guards, and then glanced aside at Colwyn, "Is everything alright here? It sounded like fighting down there and I am able to cast curative magics."
"Actually I think we did pretty well" - he looks around at the others - "Just a few cuts and bruises"
After a while, Niadroub Kliip returns to the others and mentions that the stocks are almost done, that Grigori is still alive, and that he can't find Elena or Richard.
Zelera listened intently as she was told about the murder cult they had just dealt with and nodded in agreement with Colwyn's statement. "Yes, murder cults are bad, and certainly not any fun," her gaze lost a slight bit of focus as she thought, "but they could be fun to mess with if you were feeling bored and wanted a challenge."
Zelera's gaze tuned back towards the front of the shop and she said, "I guess I should leave the payment for their work." She headed towards the front as she said, "They may be a murder cult but they did clean the shawl." As she went she continued speaking, even if no one followed her, and said, "Of course they did put it in peril by their whole murder cult thing and made me have to find it myself..." Her tone became almost wicked as she said, "I think a redressing of the slight is in order."
As Zelera went to the front she began randomly grabbing the slips for various garments and exchanging them with others to cause a mess to deal with for whoever, if anyone, opened up the shop the next day. She didn't take anything, and she didn't damaged anything, but her efforts were going to make someone very miserable in the near future. When she reached the front Zelera pulled out the payment for her shawl and left it behind the counter with her item slip.
When she was finished Zelera found Colwyn, since he was in charge, and asked, "So, do you have a need for someone like me?" She smiled winsomely and continued, "It certainly seems like you could use someone to lighten things up around here, it seems sooo..." her voice trailed off and she looked up at the ceiling as she looked for a good word, seeming to settle on one she finished, "rigid."
"The matter is well in hand now, I'll leave it to you." Turning to Colwyn he gives a short bow. "Now that I'm more than a rumor to you Baron Consul Colwyn I'm sure you'll be wanting to have words with me at some point in the future so we don't have any misunderstandings. From what I know of you, you're a good man doing his best for his people."
"The matter is well in hand now, I'll leave it to you."
No one seems to be paying much attention to him, so Reknar just leaves with the guard, informing them these are casters, that they should be relieved of all possessions, and kept gagged and bound.
Then he returns to the tavern, and some more drinking.
"Hmm, you said you can cast curative magics?" Colwyn asks, mulling her offer.
"Elena did mention that she would like to focus on tending the spiritual needs of the community rather than traveling more freely with us," he mutters ruefully, already missing the one who helped bring him to the worship of Erastil. "What god do you serve? You speak of 'lightening things up,' so I doubt you serve someone too heavy handed or, erm, spooky."
He also looks around the laundress' shop, idle thoughts bouncing against his skull.
"If the owner was part of the cult, what becomes of the shop? Should we grant it to Miss Zelera? No, no, seizing property like that would be tyrannical, wouldn't it?" Colwyn shakes his head against his own idea, still very much trying to fit into the role of a good ruler.
Zelera considered the question of who she worshipped posed by Colwyn. It was an important question, one she understood his interest in knowing, and she decided that, at least part of the truth was warranted. Her mind made up Zelera said, "Not all clerics draw their power from a god and I don't know if he would be insulted to be called one or find it funny, probably both, and I'm sure the gods would be offended by the comparison as well." Smiling mischievously she said, "I guess he would find being called a god entertaining then so we can call him such."
Zelera turned her focused to Colwyn directly and said, "Knowledge is power and shouldn't be given away for free but as I wear his symbol it's not a secret so..." she paused a moment before continuing, "I am a priestess for the Laughing Lie, one of the Fey Eldest, the Lantern King."
Colwyn blinks, the grandeur of Zelera's patron whizzing clear over his head like a poorly thrown javelin.
"Well, that certainly sounds...impressive," he stammers, trying to conceal his ignorance. "Your skill with words also suggests keen wit and insight, so it would be a great boon if you were to join our little circle. Now, we must be returning to the Toad and Stag. Our would-be murder victim is being kept under watch there, and we should have him identify his attacker from among our captives."
Zelera was quite pleased with this outcome, it was perfect in fact! Who would have thought that she would happen to run into the man in charge in a place like this and impress him enough to invite her along. With a gracious curtsy she said, "Wonderful! Let's go then."
When Colwyn was ready Zelera left with him and headed towards the Toad and Stag. She saw Reknar giving final instructions to the guards with their prisoners and blew a kiss in the direction of the group. It wasn't at any one of them in particular but was meant see what trouble she could stir up. As they went she asked, "So how did you end up becoming the person in charge here?"
Xan was still wary of the new woman - mainly with how cagey she was seeming to be about her patron. She was no expert on the fey, but she suspected that if even half the stories had some grounding in truth, then her object of worship wasn't something as trustworthy as a more straight-forward god. She made a note to talk to Elena and see if she knew anything about him. Or Niadroub if he was familiar much with the realm of the fey. Zelera's talk of knowledge being power had Xan thinking that she wouldn't be too forthcoming on the details.
Although... she was quite the looker.
Either way, she followed the others back to the inn, wanting a drink.
The Masked Man slinks away into the darkened corners of the city... soon a different man will rejoin his allies.
Reknar signals the others to join at the table once they arrive at the Toad and Stag - he already has a jug and several mugs waiting on the table - "Figured you might be thirsty after all the fighting" - he nods - "Help yourselves. This one is on me"
There is some satisfied sounds coming from the watching crowd as the identities of the captured women is seen. Mainly from the local wives.
Grigori goes pale and glares at one of the women when you arrive at the Toad & Stag. "That's her!" He states irately, pointing at a young, attractive woman. She glares back at him with contempt.
"She was the one who came to my room and attacked me once we were alone!"
What are you doing now?
Colwyn gleefully notes how the assembled guards and citizens turn their accusatory eyes upon the identified murderess. It even distracts him from the fact that Grigori is hardly a friend himself. He begins to contemplate the next course of action.
While an execution by rope or sword immediately comes to mind - the same threat that he had once dodged in his days of banditry - he also thinks of the word "republic" that his friends had stressed while forming this settlement and the nascent nation surrounding it.
He takes his comrades aside and offers his input.
"I have no intention of becoming a cruel, bloody-handed tyrant," he says softly, casting his eyes towards Reknar. "I have an idea how we can dispatch with this criminal."
When he initially stepped into the role as leader, Colwyn had only a very loose understanding of the word "republic," gleaned from stories out of Andoran and Galt. He knew it regarded people ruling themselves somehow, which is why it appealed to him, being quite tired of having nobles and lordlings hanging their blades above his head. Unfortunately, even after a few months of leading a republic himself, Colwyn is loathe to admit how little he has learned - but he has at least learned a little.
"We could leave her fate in the hands of the people. We could ask them to decide whether she is to be executed, imprisoned, exiled, or what."
"We goonna ask theem every tem soomeone is accused of a crem? Oogly people lek me wouldn't stend a chence," the former swamp farmer quips. "'Sides, eet looks lek we're noot doing our jobs ef we just hend every creeminal over to the moob."
"If you want to hear the people's voice, you need to institute some sort of trial by peers Colwyn" - Reknar pipes in - "I am no lawman, and most of the time I found justice it was at the tip of a blade" - he grunts - "But Niadroub is right, you can't just go for mob decisions" - the half-orc finishes.
"In any case, shouldn't we question them first?" - he adds, pouring everyone a second mug of ale.
"Okay, okay - the idea's a work in progress," Colwyn growls defensively at their table, which has come to host their somewhat private deliberations. "Like I said, I'm trying to avoid being a tyrant, but I'm still somewhat green when it comes to rule. You're right, though, Reknar. Back in the day, I would've much rather had blokes like me decide my fate than those swordlord ponces. Unless they picked me old crew for a jury, then those boys could just go hang themselves. I'll ask some questions, and I'll leave putting together a trial to the brain trust."
Colwyn saunters over to the woman identified by Grigori as his attacker. The ruler hooks his thumbs upon his belt, keeping one hand close to the hilt of his sword as a reminder of where she finds herself.
"You've got one chance to explain yourself. That's a lot more than most folks back in Brevoy get," he booms, trying to draw out the cultist's story. "What are you about? Why did you try to kill this man?"
Zelera joined the group at the table and nodded in thanks to Reknar as he had already ordered the drinks. "Oh I think I'm going to like you," she said after taking a drink. It seemed this group was well established and knew what they would each want. It reminded her of her family a little though all of them were much bigger than most of hers.
Sadly the mood was broken when Grigori identified the attempted killer. The discussion turned to the subjects of how to deal with and punish the woman who had tried to kill him. It was a new subject for Zelera as murder wasn't something she fully understood but she had been raised that taking a life unnecessarily was an unnatural thing for most, creatures. Sure there were many so called intelligent beings that did so, even some of the fey would do such things, and she knew that most humans considered it a fairly serious crime. As it wasn't something her siblings ever did she had no basis for a punishment for such a thing and so refrained from commenting on it.
As things turned to an interrogation of the would be killer Zelera knew she may be able to offer some assistance on this. Using Colwyn to shield what she was doing she cast a spell and released it on the attempted murderess.
When the normally affable Colwyn suddenly become menacing the girl flinched. "He's lying!" She replies, "He tried to offer me coin to go to his room with him when I was out in the street. I said no and he called me a whore and stalked off."
She's lying, and badly.
What are you doing now?
Zelera felt her spell take hold and stepped around Colwyn to look at the wman before them. She gave the captive a smile as she said, "Now now Colwyn, don't be so mean to the poor girl. You're scaring her and I doubt she'll tell you anything."
Zelera moved up to the captive and reached out to stroke her hand along the woman's arm in comfort. "You know I won't hurt you but please don't lie to me like you just did to Colwyn. Tell me the truth about this whole situation and everything will be fine."
Richard comes in to see the questioning. "That's neither an imaginative lie or well told." He smiles at the others "Had a spot of bother without me I take it?"
Reknar shakes his head, reclining a tad and continuing his drinking - he does not pipe in for now.
The question asked by Zelera is dangerous to the girl, but she is swayed by the smile of the strange woman. "Oh it was going to ne so much fun!" She blurts, sneering at Grigori. "That fat fool speaking out against you was so a good chance. Slit his throat and watch everyone blame you for murdering someone for questioning your rule. Gyronna would have been so happy to see this sickening settlement turn nasty on each other!"
What are you doing now?
"Heng her."