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"Duty I understand. While there are external expectations of one's duty, unless that duty is embraced internally, it is an imposed sentence that equates to slavery. I can see where external structures are needed to help train us as children; but as adults we must all make our own choices. Perhaps we mean the same thing and are merely looking at various aspects. Either way, we need to find him first!" Grim smiles at the dwarf, glad to find a kindred soul who has fully embraced his honor.
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Kishara nods, both to the Lady Sarrona and Grim's inquiring eye. She asked a few last questions of the Lady. "You mentioned that the Aldori sword-style is not looked on well, do you worry that this is more than a young man stepping out on his own? Perhaps he is not committed to a unified Brevoy?" She thought if this came down to more than just thoughts of adventure and glory, it would make him harder to convince.
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All the talk of familial duty had put Kish in a dour mood. Her angular face was all hard planes as her violet eyes stared ahead, unfocused in thought.
She thought back on what she knew of the politics of the region and then said, "Give me some time to work the crowd, see what information I can drum up."
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Kishara gets to work chasing down leads and uncovering rumours...
On the subject of Lander...
According to one of the maids, "Lander is the younger of Dame Sarrona’s two children. He is good looking, and has caught the eyes of several noble scions in Silverhall"
One of the guards remarks "Lander has always been fascinated by stories of bravery and derring-do. When he was a child, he spent hours questioning soldiers, guards, and mercenaries about their campaigns and fights against monsters. His collection of Brevic military histories is second to none in Silverhall."
Whilst more courtly gossip suggests Lander was seen recently slaughtering dire rats and other urban vermin with a finely made sword—hardly proper behavior for a young lord!
Asking about Landers more recent whereabouts...
Marek Bogdan owns the Three Tongs smithy and is a skilled artisan who specializes in making weapons. Marek trained to become an Aldori swordlord for several years before moving south to Silverhall.
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"A matter of cultures, I suppose.", Magnuson says after pondering Grim's words. "Short lives must lead to differing views on the impact of one's actions. Yes. That must be the case indeed.", the dwarf says as much to himself as anyone else. "Perhaps his attention will be sufficiently piqued by my blunderbuss here if is so interested in the martial ways? In any case let's see what this Marek fellow has to say."
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Racks of weapons and metalwork line the walls of the Three Tongs smithy, and the forge is visible through a wide door. A pair of crossed Aldori duelling swords hangs on the wall opposite the front door. The antlers of several deer and elk decorate the walls. A staircase wraps around the eastern wall, leading upstairs.
A bald Taldan man is working in the back. His skin is leathery from year of working in the forge, and his black beard and eyebrows are patchy from occasional sparks. Welcome to my smithy travellers! Seeking some new iron?". he says with a warm smile as he stops his work and turns around, I have the finest forged blades. Are you looking for something in particular? He moves over to a large collection of different weaponry, some of them looking of particular high quality.
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The man smiles broadly at Grim, and takes a moment to check the workmanship of the sword "A fine enough weapon, functional, sturdily built. I have these to show you, come this way, finest Brevoy steel - you'll notice the mark of quality here - my makers mark - the sign of an eagle clutching a pair of tongs." he leads Grim through for a tour, he seems very warm and approachable to the metal clad warrior.
Grimaldus has noted that the weapons in here all bear the makers mark.
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Kishara looks over the blades appreciatively, testing some for their balance as she also looks around for sign of the young man they came seeking.
"Quite a fine selection, to be sure. Have anything you'd particularly recommend for throwing? I like to have a few to spare." Kish grins, her collection of daggers and the pair of shortswords crisscrossing her hips verifying her words. She purchases one mundane dagger that the smith recommends.
She makes a point of glancing around obviously now and if she does not see Lander, she'll make the inquiry to the smith. "I heard there were some practitioners of the Aldori style 'round these parts. I'd always hoped to see an old fashioned Aldori duel like in the stories, or at least an exhibition. You don't know any handsome men whom I could goad into showing off a bit, do you?" Kishara leaned forward on the counter and winked at the fellow.
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Kishara also notes the particular makers ,ark, and that the number of masterwork quality weapons here are higher than one would generally expect in a typical weapons store - this man really takes his weapons very seriously.
At her playful banter and obviously leading comment he offers a good natured chuckle and waves his hands as if protesting he is just an old man, "Too bad you missed young Lander Lebeda, he'd have accepted that challenge! Thinks himself the next Baron Aldori" he then shows you a range of masterwork daggers...
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Kishara pouts, "Well now, that is too bad. A young nobleman with the skill of Aldori himself would be a sight worth seeing. I don't suppose you know which direction he was headed? I expect we'll only be in Brevoy a short time and I'd hate to miss out on such an opportunity." She fiddled with the silver pin of her faction's symbol on her vest. She certainly wasn't a beauty, with her oft broken nose and plain style of dress but she could pour on the charm all the same.
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He looks as though he wishes he could help more, but only offers what he can - “I last saw Lander two days ago. He was headed out of town on the southwestern road. Over the past month or so, he’s been trying to put his training to good use—slaying monstrous vermin in the outskirts of town, that sort of thing. With the recent attacks by bandits, Lander was convinced that he could stop them himself and live up to Baron Aldori’s legacy.”
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Kishara smiles and gives the smith a parting hug, leaving behind the faint scent of vanilla perfume. "Thanks! Maybe we can catch up to him and help out. Gods know we've done our share of rat-killing, eh Grim?"
Once they had left the smithy she replies to her team. "Ah, but nobles don't want their children out risking their necks on such minor affairs. That's a job for someone less valuable." Kish wrinkled her nose around the word, as if she resented it having come from her own mouth.
She kept her eyes searching for the young Lander Lebeda, making inquiries if need be.
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With no further leads you take the south western road out of town in the hope of picking up Lander’s trail. After traveling along the road for about 50 miles, and starting to wonder if the effort is futile, Kishara notices a handkerchief to a tree near the point where the deer trail intersects the road.
Moving up to inspect it reveals that it bears the crest of House Lebeda—a white swan on a blue background with a rising sun in the background...
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Grim
Kishara
Magnuson
KYRA
STRANGERS
The deer trail winds past a large pond fed by a spring. Reeds and sedges grow around the pond, and piping birds are audible over the gurgling of running water. The pond drains from a stream flowing southwards. A section of grasses has been cleared away near the north edge of the pond, revealing a small fire pit caked with ashes.
You barely had time to notice a bunch of men before their arrows got your attention as they streak towards you...
The men begin rallying up and calling to each other to attack!
R1
STRANGERS
Kyra (Delays)
Grim
Kishara
Magnuson
/Party up!
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Kish sighed as she identified the handkerchief. "Looks like the next Baron Aldori has gotten himself into trouble. Quelle surprise!"
Kishara's eyebrows knit together in irritation as she ducked an arrow. "Hey! That's no way to say hello." She surged forward, pulling blades with both hands, a dagger in one and her new silvery shortsword in the other. "You should put your arm into it more, like this!"
She held the hilt with her thumb against the palm, making a show of a cheery overhand wave, which follows through as she releases the dagger, streaking toward her target.
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Kish's dagger flies true, striking the man in the river - he gasps a little at the sting.
Grim moves in and shoots across the river, hitting the man squarely and making a rather notable 'point', the man deals with the injury - but couldnt do that twice!
R1
STRANGERS (Ready/shoot)
Kyra (Delays)
Grim (Move/shoot)
Kishara (Move/shoot)
Magnuson PENDING
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An arrow flies across the river...
Attack
JUST missing Grim!
The other two move in on Kishara
The bandit swings a sword...
Attack
Convert?
Damage
Repaying the cut from the earlier thrown knife.
The leader, a sleazy looking man with a greasy moustache closes in as well, mace in hand!
Attack
But to no avail!
Kyra hoofs it to get to Kisharas side.
R2
STRANGERS (Attacked)
Kyra (Moved)
Grim
Kishara
Magnuson
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There is a collective wince from friend and foe alike when the moustachioed man tries to parry Grimaldus' mighty strike - only to miss the timing and wear the brunt of the blade in full. With a sound like a watermelon being smashed on a sidewalk, the blade hits home and the man drops silently into the reeds, looking very broken.
His fellows looks a lot less interested in fighting all of a sudden, and you suspect they will probably leg it.
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Kishara wipes away the spatter from her face, looking half disgusted and half amused. "Alright Captain Overkill... I said sandwiches, not chicken liver pâté!"
She waits a moment more, calling out to their Dwarf friend. "Say Block, is Tackle's name what you would call apropos or more of an ironic moniker."
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Locking the last bandit in, it takes minimal effort to bring him down - between Kish's blade and Magnusons efforts, the man gets flattened out.
The other fellow realises he is standing on the far side of the pond and uses that to his advantage - legging it away as fast as he can.
Kyra comes by and realises the fallen bandit is still alive and stabilises the wound. She also heals Kishara with a wand.
CLW
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"Let's hold here, Kishara. The young man is our mission, not highwaymen. Plus, chasing a fleeing person is dangerous business when you are not familiar with the area. Learned that the hard way dealing with kobolds as a youth. Let us search the area for intel and it looks like Kyra has stabilized the other fella."
Calling Tackle over, Block gives him a scruff behind the ear and says to the group, "Still have that piece of cloth? Tackle here should be able to get his scent."
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Grim cleans his blade, efficient and unemotional. He was glad to be reunited with his friend - they made a good team. He listens to Magnuson, then says "I concur. But I will stand watch while you interrogate this one, in case the bandit decides to return with friends..." He mounts the greatsword on his back again and retrieves his darkwood bow, hading across the water and watching down the path where the man ran away.
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Kishara shrugs, seeming ambivalent about the potential danger to herself but she also wipes her blades and puts them away. She glances at the healed wound on her arm and smiles at Kyra. "Thanks for that, can't even see the scratch, no?"
She fishes the handkerchief from her vest pocket holding it delicately by the corner and hands it to Block and then sets to searching the two bandits thoroughly, making sure to bind the one still living before he is brought back to consciousness.
"Morning Sunshine!" The half-elf chirps cheerily as the man begins to stir, twirling her new dagger through her fingers above his prone form. "Now why such a warm reception for strangers on the road? Can't earn honest gold with that ugly mug, eh? All the good gigs taken, then? I get it, you just sorely underestimated your marks. And given that one of us looks like he's half giant, that was a pretty big mistake, yes? But maybe a young man on his own looking for trouble found plenty enough here, eh? Oops!" She purposefully fumbled the knife, dropping it so it sunk to the hilt in the earth about an inch from the bandits ear.
"Clumsy me!" She bent and retrieved the dagger, grinning as she resumed twirling her dagger right over his face. "Now I think you had something you wanted to tell me before I have another accident, yes?"
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The man looks up and seeing his position he turns sour, clearly acting out with a bit of bravado in his predicament - "I serve Aldona, the mistress of the moon, she leads us and these lands are HERS and none may pass!" He thrusts forth his upper arm that seems to bear some rough and ragged scars "With the next full moon, the power of our gang will multiply, and all of Silverhall will be our prey!"
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After gathering the items of use from the dead man and detainee, Block passes a Thunderstone and tanglefoot bag to Grim and Kishara and says,"We got small haul here, but nothing hinting at the boy's whereabouts far as I can tell." Gesturing the loot and items he already passed out he adds, "Take what you need and keep hold of those for we find where they are holding the kid."
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"Look here, manling. I am not much for games and praising cult leaders. Right about now I am the only one standing here that might represent what you have left as a friend in this world. Those two there are under all the necessary authority, more than willing to be sure, to pronounce sentence on yer life right here and now. If you have any hope of seeing if that Lady of yours is as great as she claims, I suggest you tell us where to find that lordling right now."
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Kishara shrugs again, trying to look the part of a bloodthirsty captor to support Block's angle. She roughly assists in searching their captive and the dead, double checking for any concealed orders or anything. She watches him carefully for signs of manipulation or deceit.
When the fellow babbles on about the full moon and this Aldona, Kish tries to recall what she knows of this area and what sort of folk they might be dealing with.
She exchanges her mundane dagger for another, this one crafted of alchemical silver. "Hmm, I'm quite sure House Lebeda would disagree on whose lands these are, not to mention the King Regent. Now what do you mean by ' he'll be first up', eh?" She pressed the edge of the silver dagger against the man's exposed skin, watching for a reaction.
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Kishara is handling the weapons when she notices that all of their weapons bear a maker’s mark of an eagle clutching a pair of tongs.
She can see the man is quite afraid but trying to act cool and calm, but has no idea of the nature of any such beasts in the area beyond what is being said. She supposes this is probably wolf country...
Waving a dagger under his neck he seems quite shaken again, and reflexively tries to avoid the keen edge, but there is no particular obvious reaction.
"She'll bite him, to turn him or feast upon him! She's the Mistress of the Moon! She is the wolf"
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Grim stays alert, but has returned to the group. He collects several arrows for his quiver, and puts the items Block hands to him in a belt pouch.
"Mistress of the Moon? Wolves? Filthy beasts, all of you. You are a disease upon us, one I am happy to excise. I think we'll leave you here for research. I wonder what happens when a werewolf is eaten by a swamp lizard?" he says. Grim then roughly lifts the man by his bound arms and ties him to a tree near the water. He then punches the man in the base of his skull to knock him unconscious.
"Come on. We have a wolf to skin...I needed some new furs for my armor!"
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Kishara shakes her head, frowning. "Look here, our smith friend has been outfitting the pack. And I thought he was doing me a favor... hmm."
She falls into step beside Grimaldus on the road, sighing melodramatically. "Well, you can say this for the Lebeda lad... When he screws the pooch, he goes BIG!"
Looking back at their dwarven comrade, she raised an eyebrow. "Now you don't really think I'd just as soon kill some bloke as look at him, do ya Block?" She gave both him and Kyra a roguish wink and a grin. "I've got some silver weapon blanch... Everyone have something silver to fight with, just in case?"
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The bandits’ camp is about 3 miles away from the watering hole.
A half-dozen tents form a semi-circle around a large fire pit in this clearing on a hillside. The smell of roasting meat wafts through the air, and a plume of smoke rises from the fire. Two men sit fireside, quietly roasting their dinner.
Several large barrels sit beside the opening of the largest of the tents.
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Block simply smiles and laughs at the statement made by the skilled lady. "Oh never, lass. Hahaha. But, as to the silver I must admit I do not. I may need to make use of your chemical there for my axe."
Upon arrival Block begins to assess the situation. Looking at himself and Grim he doubts a stealth approach will be likely for the two of them, but reckons Kish will be able to do so on her own or supported by Tackle.
"You and Tackle can roll in and hit them with thunderstone. As soon as they are hit, Grim, Kyra, and I can roll in hard.", he whispers.