"I agree, Sir Yander. I'd like to think that the girl isn't involved, and that a palace-spy seems more likely. Still, it can't hurt to have Calista check, gently."
"Regarding our current base of operations, I don't expect any new place we find will stay hidden long from a palace spy. I think our best bet is to play our advantage and rely on Master Garnackle's traps to do their job. As for myself, I'll not stop scouting from the sky, but I will certainly continue to do my best to stay hidden from view. If anyone sees me, they'll have earned it. I assure you I'm quite good at staying unseen."
"As for tomorrow, perhaps morning is best? If we find anything, that'll give us time to follow up. No sense wasting a day."
::"Arr I understand Yander, culture can be tricky. Your right if she picked you up the day before then a spy in the palace is very lickly."::
she looks at his lordship.
"We now have good reason to think you have a spy at the palace then had access to your list of applicants for our jobs. They targeted one of us pre meeting. I suggest you check your clerks or anyone who had accesses to our names."::
::"Alright then the prudent course of action is to interrogate the girl. I did scan her lightly at the palace she seemed clear then. If she turns out to be a plant we use her."::
Rahdeem frowns at the mention of using the girl, but doesn't say anything out loud or over the mindlink, then slowly nods in agreement with Calista.
"I think the girl is already in enough danger."
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"There are many servants in the palace, and the cult does its best to groom the lower castes into their service. Such a possibility is why I requested you directly communicate with me rather than using any kind of messenger." Lord Pansidar concurs with your assessment of the possibilities, it would seem. "Please proceed with caution, as they have shown willingness to murder anyone they see as standing against them. They threaten even the Thakur."
::"Lets see if that's a little girl 1st before we get to over protective. I know a of number of magics and items that can make one look like a child."::
"Well you know your court, and caution we will have, good night my lord"
:Once hes gone lets have the girl in here"::
Roonfizzle spends the evening wandering room to room, doing interesting things with string and tools, occasionally shooing people out of the room he was actively working in to enhance the 'surprise'. One thing that clear once he leaves a room, is that it is cleaner than when he started, removing any hint of dust that might give away whatever he changed.
"Well, I didn't SEE anyone following us this evening, but by the time we leave, this building will be almost secure. As is, I think we'll be safe this evening. I'll keep working on it.
"I'd like to think she's innocent, but we've already met one young feller about her age with wandering hands. It's plausible, but even if she's running a game, she's likely still in danger. Most Cults have little hesitation in making sacrifices to get what they want."
Come the Dawn, he's up and working again.
"Well Lads and Lasses, Shall I continue working on the House, or watch someone's back as we explore the situation some more? Sooner or later, no one's getting in, which makes the odds of an ambush while we're out and about that much more likely."
She smiles
::"You know there is a saying, 'one need not look for the exit from a maze if one knows the way in' if we can pick the end or where for an attack on us that, saves us leg work and give us an advantage. So
Roonfizzle you do what you have to do, to get this place as close to a death trap as you can for the cult. Then when we are out, lets set them up with a little surprise. Ill think on it tonight."::
she shows his lordship to the door.
"Would you like Sir Royce to walk you home mylord?"
She sees them out then takes to chairs, placing them facing each other.
::"Bring the girl please, I will talk to her in here"::
She takes one of the seats.
Yander goes out to the stable and fetches Hali and brings her back to the dining room.
"Stay here and talk to Lady Calista, Hali, and I'll fetch you some rolls to eat."
Yander then goes to the kitchen to fetch some rolls.
"Hello Hali, by the way that is a nice name, I'm Calista a friend of Ynaders. He wanted me to talk to him, because someone gave you a message for us. Could you tell me how you go that message place, when and where and who it was."
Rahdeem follows Yander towards the kitchen, but lingers in the arched doorway, keeping an eye on the conversation, and prepared to act if anything goes awry.
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Hali sits, somewhat nervously, across from Calista, listening to her questions. She nods, understanding. "I was down in the market, looking for more work, because Sir Yander was no longer needing me, when the man came up to me." she closes her eyes, picturing him "He was old, loosing his hair, but had a thick mustache. He wore the robes of a merchant."
Calista "sees" the mental image of the man through her thought reading, more middle aged than "old", and notices something else, probably brought up by Hali's subconscious as she tries to picture the man: his fingers seem abnormally long.
"He said that he wanted me to bring the note to, how did he say, 'that foreigner I was seen with at the palace', giving me a silver. He looked and spoke Vudrani, but his voice had this weird accent. He told me not to read the note, but I can't read Taldan anyway, only speak it some."
Calista Perception
::"I have something more, image in her mind of man, merchant dress, he's more middle aged than old, I think she sees him as old because of her age. he's human looking... he gives her a silver.. then talks with.. yes she's right, that is an odd accent.. can't place it.. then gives the note and walks off... hold on...from this angle, humm there's something else odd about him.. his fingers!.. my, my, they are abnormally long. A long fingered man who's not local and goings around dressed as a merchant"::
"Thank you Hali, that is most helpful. Are you hungry, I have some nice food in the house, would you like some."
Calista gets up and go's to the basket of food she got on the way back, she starts putting out some dates and Honey Bread onto a plate, and purs some milk into mug, with her back still to Hali, she off handily asks.
"O Hali. how did you know where to look for us?"
Good catch, Calista, but I hope it's nothing... Rahdeem thinks to himself.
As he waits for Hali's response to the question, he keeps a careful eye on the girl and remains ready to act against her if necessary, Calista's warning about shapeshifting magic fresh in his mind.
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"Well, I thought about going back to the castle and asking, but didn't think they'd let me back in. Then, I thought of that question you asked His Honor Lord Pandisar regarding a house of safety just before Sir Yander had me sent home. I figured it would have to be in the noble district, so I waited in the merchant district near the gateway to the noble district, and, after awhile I saw Lady Junebug.....Am I in trouble?" Hali frowns, on the verge of tearing up at the thought.
Rahdeem listens closely as Hali answers, trying to discern if she's being truthful.
"That was a very clever thing to do, Hali, you are a smart girl"
Calista says coming back with with the plate of food and placing it in front of Hali.
"Now eat up you look hungry, just one more thing Hali sweet heart, before you start eating, did you tell anyone about us and us being here?."
Yander comes back into the room from the kitchen to where Calista is talking to Hali.
He tosses the young girl a roll and gives her a wink.
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[spoiler=Rahdeem]
The girl seems to be being honest, if nothing else out of a sense of fright of Calista.
[/ooc]
Hali smiles a little at Calista's compliment, relief washing over her mind as she is praised instead of scolded, and more than pleased at being given food.
"Well, I told Funipel about meeting Sir Yander and Lady Junebug, oh, and about getting to see the castle, but she didn't believe me. She can be such a brat...." she looks hungrily at her plate, flinching but catching the roll Yander throws at her, her smile widening as she takes a bite. Mouth full of roll, she switches to sloppy Taldan (more due to food in her mouth than actual deficiency at this point) to say "Thank yew, Sir Yandew."
Hali swallows the bit of food, saying to Calista (back in udrani) "Thank you for the food, I am quite hungry. Is that merchant a bad man? His breath stunk of strange meats."
Sits again, and looks on as the Child eats.
::"If she is lying and getting past my skills she is of a level of deceptive magic or art I have never seen before. I think this girl is who she says she is. Her mind is that of a child from what I can sense. So now we have a new problem. Our evil merchant knows Hali, he found her once, so you can bet he will find her again. My feeling is this group, this long fingered evil man, may use her to get at us. It seem unknowing we have placed this child in harms way. We have no option now but to try and protect her. Using her will not give us much and might well get her killed or hurt. I really don't what that, once you look into another's mind there is always a risk of attachment but in this case I feel that is a good thing. Hali here has done nothing but try and help others, it would be a shame if that was used to hurt her. Therefore we now have to investigate our evil cult not just for cash but make it self for her. This also means we have to keep her safe while we do that. So lets start"::
She smiles at the child.
"Yes I am sorry to say he is Hali, which means it may be dangerous right now for you to go back out into the city. If your happy to and myself and Sir Royce think this would be for the best, You can sleep in my room tonight. We will be just outside and then in the morning we can see about getting you somewhere safe like home. You do have a home Hali?"
She says looking over at Sir Royce.
Yander frowns and wrinkles his brow as he communicates with the unfamiliar mind speech.
"I lean towards leaving her here, though I don't know if she'll cooperate. She seems a willful child."
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Hali frowns, "Of course I have a home.And Funipel will be worried if I don't get back there." she looks at Sir Yander, her from decreasing a bit. But if I stay here, and he takes me home, Funipel can see I'm not lying. She switches back to Taldan, addressing Yander "But, as lung as you think it is the best, Sir Yander, I will be staying the tunight."
"That's settled then." Yander says.
"Now Hali, I think Junebug needs some more combing in the stable."
To the others via the mindlink
"Tending the horse will keep her occupied and out of everyone else's hair for a while."
Calista looks over at Yander in approval.
::"So tomororw we have to get Hali and this Funipel and any other family safe. Then we carry on investigating. Roonfizzle I think it may be good you and Rahdeem head out to the Merchants part of town and see if you can get a lead on long fingers. Me and Yander will take Hali back and ask around there. Some how Long Fingers found her I want to know how. Well then off to bed I go, wake me in two hours, Ill watch the house after that."::
She gets up and heads to bed.
Roonie, bent over a complicated cat's cradle of cord in one of the entrance pathways, looks up and captures the mental word image of "Longfingers" that Lady Calista shares over the link.
"Gotcha, interesting fellow. We'll see what we can dig up. That sort of fellow should stick out decently, though it might be intentional. Either way, it's somewhere to start from the other direction. Are you sure you want both your surprise backups elsewhere when you go wandering around town with Hali? I'm OK with either option, especially if we're close enough to get to you when trouble starts."
After responding, he bends back down, frowning at the maze of cord before easing one length a little, tightening another, and then sliding a tiny bell on, and at last, yanking one loose end, and the entire web seems to disappear.
"I'm thinking we should stick together today. It might be a good idea for all of us but Rooonfizzle to head out and then to have Roonfizzle trail along behind us discretely to see if we attract a tail."
sits at the breakfast table sipping tea and looking on as Hali tucks into some bread and milk.
At Sir Royce's comment she looks over at him.
"That was one possible deployment of our resources, but I discounted it on the grounds that time is short. Having us all deal with your Hali takes us away from our objective. But by allowing our best information collectors and lets face it all round sneaks to dive into the mill of gossip known merchant market. While we walk Hali gives us time to all meet at the palace at noon to interview the guard captain. I think the risks are acceptable in this deployment"
She says sipping more tea.
Rahdeem waits for Calista to finish before chiming in.
"I don't know Calista, I agree time's important, but we'll get nothing done if we're caught out split up and get ourselves killed... Perhaps we should stick together, and maybe just get an early start?
"I understand, if that is the feeling of the group, we will go as a group"
She sips her tea.
"I think there's a good chance that we'll be followed as we cross town. If Roonfizzle can follow at a distance and figure out who is following us, then he might be able to track them and find them." Yander says.
"It involves some danger to Roonfizzle, but he seems to be a stealthy fellow who is good at mixing with crowds."
She stands.
"Good then its agreed, lets get ready to move out, Roonfizzle lock the house up please once we are gone, as only you can."
She walks and in turn lays a hand on each of them.
::"We are now linked once more, I will keep the girl out of this. So lets see what the day has in store for us"::
Then she collects her things and stands ready to move out.
"Well, as long as the lot of you move at a sedate pace, I'm not worried about getting left behind. I have a wand to increase my speed to that of you long legged folk, but that gets expensive for a walkabout. I know from prior experience, that splitting up can be deadly, so I like this plan best. Besides, it allows us the opportunity to catch them unawares. They might think I'm here all by myself, and either try and take the lot out exploring the city, in which I take them from surprise, or trying and break in here. I wish them a bit of luck on either front. Before we leave for the day, I'll drop one last surprise on the front door, I'll just need to remember to take it down when we finish the job, it'd be an unpleasant surprise for the next tenants. I'll also pick up some odds and ends while we're out to make things a bit more secure, as opposed to just what I carry in my kit."
Come Morning, Roonie is seen fiddling with the half open front door as everyone else readies to leave.
"And, done. We all ready to see what we can learn?"
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Soon after leaving the political sector and entering the market area, Roonie does notice someone who watches the group for longer than idle curiosity should allow. A man dressed in lower caste robes, pushing a cart with a broom and shovel, and heaped with refuse, stares at the group as they pass. He looks away when the group approached, pretending to be busy with his sweeping and collecting, but goes back to watching them after.
"There's one now. That fellow trying oh so hard to look productive with that cart. I'll wait a moment and see what he does when you lot are just out of sight, and then catch up."
Rahdeem does his best to not physically react to the warning, and answers in kind as he and the others continue to walk down the road.
"Will do, Roonie. And be careful, friend."
She holds Hali as they walk along.
"Now you hold my had Hali, Sir Royce will keep us safe, hes a big brave knight and that's what they do, when looking after princesses like us. Now if you see the long fingered man as we go, you just tug my hand so I know. Once we get to the markets we best keep an eye out for something nice for you to take home."
The walk along until Roonie lets then know about the watcher.
::"Excellent, Lets home he's connected to the cult and not some one who just knows the girl. Rahdeem while Roonie shadows him could you keep a look out for others.::
"There is a nice stall Hali look robins in lots of colours how about we get one for you"
he stops and starts talking to the stall holder.
Yander and Junebug walk along, keeping watch for any obvious danger.
His forehead scruches up some as he thinks over the mind link.
"Be careful back there Roonfizzle. While it was predictable that they would set a tail on us, they also are bound to know that there are four of us. They'll be on the lookout and trying to figure out where you are."
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Once the party is out of sight, the feruse collector leaves his cart and travels a few streets, and knocks on the back door of a modest mercantile house. The door opens and he speaks a few words before being handed a few coins. He then returns to his cart and continues sweeping up garbage.
Roonie Perception
You hear the garbage man say "They've just passed, with the girl in tow."
The man in the house is at a bad angle to see his face, but you notice his long fingers as he places five copper coins in the cart pusher's hand.
"A very good point, Yander."
Rahdeem does his best to get a glimpse of their surroundings without tipping his hand.
"Well HELLO there, what nice long fingers you have there... I've got a partial visual on the man our watcher reported too... and while I didn't get a good look at his face, those fingers might make this our person of interest. I can hold tight, see if I can get a better view of the building's exits, and meet you here? And we can have a ... chat. With our friend "Fingers". Or, I can double back, catch up with you, and we can visit here anyway later. He's likely to return at some point. For our ... Chat. Your thoughts?"
Roonie discretely looks around, and tries to find a better vantage to watch the building, and see all the visible exits without leaving the important door unwatched.
::"Stay put Roonfizzle but safe unseen, We need to know if others come to him or he gos to report to some one. We will drop the girl off then head your way, if how ever there is trouble we will be with you soon as we can."::
she gives Hali a ribbon then says
"So Hali how about you show use your home."
"Agreed." Yander thinks.
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Hali smiles when taking the ribbon, then says "Thank you Lady Calista. My home is in the low caste district. I don't think you've been there before. It is this way."
She leads you through the merchant district, showing you several side alley short cuts, as well as pointing out a few more short cuts she sometimes take which would be difficult unless you were small like her.
Meanwhile, Roonie sees the merchant leave his abode. His step seems.. odd somehow, and his stride is long. He moves swiftly through the streets, apparently unaware of anyone following him.
"Hali do't worry, we have been in worse places than this. lead on and remeber we have Sir Royce's mount with is so no back street rat runs."
As the walk with her home.
::"Roonfizzle we'er heading to Hali's home now. Lot of back street rat runs down here, She lives in the low caste district so slum steets. Rahdeem with you be happy to take to the roof tops. I want eyes over us as we head down there. Royce if you mount has problems getting into the streets let me know and we will find another way."::
As the Merchant exits the building, Roonie blinks in surprise, casts Detect Magic, and then begins to stealthily follow the suspect as best as he can, given the need to stealth, and the difference in stride.
"He's on the move, keeping a discrete distance at the moment. I'll favor stealth over keeping him in sight. Something about his pace and gait... seem odd. I'm not sure he's the human merchant he appears to be. I'll keep you looped in."
::"Keep safe Roonfizzle, all right, this is it, where it is let us know if its coming our way. Rahdeem you link up with Roonfizzle if hes heading this way. I am sorry to say we will be the bait, Royce get your self ready. If it comes at us, I will look after the girl. If we play this right we can trap it in an ambush. If its not human, cold iron, silver, magic, you know the deal. Lets just hope its not undead. I hate undead their a real pain in the back side."::
As she walks she pull out from her magic belt pouch an odd looking light cross bow, It dos not seem to have a bow part, in a spring. She straps it to her leg, On the other leg she straps a quiver. She pulls out her dagger from her boot checks it and places it back again.