Marcel puts a finger to his chin and taps it three times. "Perhaps. There are many things which need to be resolved in this region, some require guile and tact, some not so much. In the end, it depends on you. You are free to go, if you like. All I brought you here for was to discuss these matters."
Tesia looks around the room, keeping an eye on the suspiciously nervous attendant. She goes closer to Marcel where the attendant can't overhear her words and speaks directly to him. "Do you know of your attendants whereabouts the other day? He's acting awfully nervous for someone who doesn't have anything to hide. If I'm completely out of line, just let me know. I thought I would just ask."
She looks to the rest of the group before taking a seat at the Barons heavily laden table. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm absolutely starved and this feast looks magnificent." She has a delighted smile on her face as she piles whatever is nearest her onto her plate in heaping spoonfuls. She stops between bites of food to address the Baron as well as the rest of the group. "Really, this food is quite marvelous. I can't remember when I've tasted such delectable treats. As far as employment...I really wouldn't mind. I am just as anxious to find the stone and return it as you are. I won't speak on everyone else's behalf, but you can count me all in." She munches away happily while letting everyone else decide what they want to do.
She stops eating for a moment and looks as if she's thinking about something. "So far, all we have done is run around pointlessly being led around in circles. The gnome we captured at the estate gave us false information that led to some...unpleasantness. I'm hoping that her ruse did not give the actual thief time to get beyond our reach." She looks around the table, "Other than that, we really don't have much else to go on. Unless there is anything that anyone else can think of that I might have forgotten?" She goes back to her food and drink.
"I was quite irate at the discovery of the missing key," Marcel admits. [b]"My remaining attendants believe that I am hiring a squad of inquisitors. I haven't bothered to correct them."
The baron pops a grape in his mouth and looks about the room.
Évelyne had been quietly sipping her tea and listening to the conversation. The whole situation didn't worry her the least; It is very unlikely that anyone bent to enslaving a nation or something like that would pay much attention to her specifically. "A tool for dominating others, eh? I can see how something like that might have inspired some of his more... Uninhibited works, he he."
After about fifteen more minutes of stuffing her face with fruit, cheese, meats, and eggs, Tesia takes a drink and wipes her mouth. She considers what Marcel has said for a moment before replying. "Well, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to go ahead and question those that remained about the other attendants. Who knows, maybe someone will remember something useful." She takes another drink and sits back in her chair letting the food settle a bit.
"Excellent. Those of you who wish to help me in this matter, please stay and I shall provide you with a writ signifying that you are aiding me with this investigation and shall act as my agents. Of course, you shall be adequately compensated," Marcel says, polishing off his drink. "If you choose to leave, merci for listening to me and please enjoy your time in Strotfeld."
Why is it that I am always only just prepared for the day...
"I would be...
well,
not delighted per see, but certainly quite willing to be of aid in your little 'housecleaning' enterprise, Baron." Vinccenso responds.
Évelyne's smile starts to veer into "unsettling grin" territory. "Compensation is always welcome. And how much exactly this writ allows us to get away with? I'd hate to accidentally overstep my boundaries."
Tesia just sits back and enjoys the rest of her drink while listening to the conversations around her and occasionally nodding her head. I think I can help him and still have a good time in Strotfeld. She laughs quietly to herself and then quickly tries to cover it with a cough.
"Personally, I'd prefer that no one gets grievously injured in this matter," Marcel says, glancing towards Èvelyne.
Faulkes grins. "Now all we need are badges."
"Saya agak tertentu dia bermakna dia tidak mahu anda melakukan apa-apa yang memerlukan ini bahasa untuk menjelaskan dengan betul..." Vinccenso mutters to Evelyne, his eyebrow arching sardonically.
Now I'm beginning to wonder about her...
"Kami kekuatan Walau bagaimanapun, menggunakan sepenuhnya munasabah mundur mudah kami penggunaan bahasa ini mungkin melahirkan."
We might however, make use of the entirely reasonable dis-ease our use of this language is likely to engender."
At hearing the strange exchange, Tesia cocks her eyebrow and looks at the two as if confused. She then just shrugs her shoulders and finishes off her drink.
"បាទប៉ុន្តែយើងត្រូវតែស្ងប់ស្ងាត់មនោរម្យដូច្នេះនាងមិនទទួលបានសង្ស័យ។" Évelyne answers and slightly nervously nods towards Tesia.
"Yeah... But we should take care not to cause her too much dis-ease."
"ចំណុចល្អ។" Vinccenso replies. "អ្នកមិនបានពន្យល់ពីរបៀបដែលវាគឺថា អ្នក នៅនិយាយអណ្តាតនេះទោះជាយ៉ាងណា..."
Marcel raises an eyebrow at the exchange, but shrugs it off. He walks into another room, returning a few moments later with a small stack of papers and a sizable sack.
"I hope that 200 gold coins shall help in your endeavors," Marcel says, gesturing towards the sack.
"Certainly, may I?" Vinccenso replies, gesturing toward the papers.
While listening to those around her, Tesia looks for another bottle with drink in it. She pours some into her cup filling it about half full before putting the bottle down. She takes a few sips and sets her glass down on the table. She waves her hands in a nonchalant manner at Marcel's mention of the gold and looks at the papers he deposited on the table.
"You make a generous offer." She looks around the table before continuing as if waiting to see if anyone else has anything to say. "Personally, the money is not as important to me as it might be to some. I am more concerned with finding the stone before it falls into the wrong hands, if it hasn't already done so." She gestures towards the papers on the table,"Are those the writs you were speaking of before? May I take a look at them?" She looks at Vinccenso as color rises to her cheeks, she tries to look away before he can notice. "Uh, I'm sorry. You can look at them first, I didn't mean to....that is...um...so is this okay with all of you? I didn't want to seem like I was trying to take charge or anything." She looks around the room before taking another drink from her glass. Good grief, what is my problem? Why am I sounding like a babbling idiot all of a sudden? Aarrgggg.... She tries not to look at anyone directly so they can't tell how embarrassed she feels and waits to hear what everyone else thinks of his proposal.
"Of course," Marcel replies to both Tesia and Vinccenso. "You merely need to add your signatures to them, so that they are valid."
Vinccenso takes a proffered writ and looks it over.
The undersigned is hereby noted as under the employ of Baron Marcel LeVoux of Corfingham. The bearer of this document is empowered to conduct business in the interest of the barony as long as such conduct does not violate instated laws. If this document ever leaves the possession of the undersigned, it is null and void for all intents and purposes.
The document bears Marcel's flourished signature, a space underneath for another signature as well as a gleaming gold seal that seems almost unnatural.
Hesitantly, his fingertips briefly tracing over the seal as he checks that all the documents are identical, Vinccenso signs one before rolling it up & carefully slipping it into a secure inner pocket.
"វាជារឿងរ៉ាវដ៏វែងជាង។ ខ្ញុំនឹងប្រាប់អ្នកនៅពេលក្រោយរួចទៅហើយ?" Évelyne says in response to Vinccenso's slightly uncomfortable question, and picks up one of the papers herself. She quickly skims over the text, smiling at "empowered to conduct business", frowning at "not violating instated laws" and muttering something to herself while staring at the golden seal.
"It's kind of a long story. I'll tell you later, okay?"
Eyebrow arched inquisitively, Vinccenso gazes expectantly at Evelyne.
Vinccenso notes Èvelyne's gaze wandering from the seal on her writ to his. Quintz does the same as the cleric before signing his document. Verrill take his writ, holds it up in the air and seems to analyze it before signing. Faulkes eagerly signs his writ, though a look of resignation seems to cross his face.
Tesia likewise takes her writ and looks it over before signing. Once signed she takes it and puts it in a safe location on her person. She looks around, once she notices that everyone else seems to be in agreement and signed their writs as well she looks at the Baron. "Well, it would seem that we are all in agreement. I just don't know where to start now since our dead end in Blackshire. Does anyone have any suggestions?"
She picks up her glass, regards it and then sets it down opting for a mug of some kind of steaming liquid instead. She blows on the liquid before taking a few sips and sits back in her chair.
"Fi found some tracks in the manor last night, perhaps we should start there," Faulkes says.
Quintz gives a brief nod at his statement. "Perhaps this time we should follow the evidence rather than some suspect gnome's hearsay."
You all return to the manor, finding Dewell having an animated discussion with a guard. "There. Talk to them. They know what happened last night."
"May we help you, sir?" Vinccenso asks the guard.
Vinccenso notes that the guard seems to be rather unfriendly towards Dewell. "Well, wi' the Stone o' Veroner gone, we're in trouble. This bugger here has the only set o' keys to get in an' out, so 'e has to be th' one who took it."
"Only he doesn't have the only set of keys." Vinccenso replies. Producing the writ, he continues. "As duly appointed agents of the Baron, for just this matter in point of fact, having immediately returned from our audience with the Baron we are aware there are another set of keys to the residence."
Now, is there a reason you are badgering our witness out here where just anyone could listen in?"
The guard produces a small monocle on the end of a fine golden chain around his neck. He glances at the writ, focusing on the seal. The guard blanches for a moment before speaking.
"Ah, yessir," the guard stammers. "I apologize. If it's all th' same t' you, I'll let you handle things from 'ere."
The guard walks away, seemingly chastised.
Tesia looks around, baffled by the guards response, but pleased that they won't have to deal with them as well while trying to figure everything out. She looks at Vinccenso and smiles. "I couldn't have said it better myself Vin. I wonder about his reaction to the writ though, it's a bit odd. However, anything that makes our job easier is fine by me. I'm not much of a tracker, so I'll just look around the manor and see if anything else was disturbed. If I'm needed just come get me, I'll be around." She starts looking around the area before going to another part of the manor.
Dewell sighs and unlocks the front door. He waits for you to all enter before closing and locking the door behind him. "Thank you, Master Vinccenso. Many of the guards don't care to listen to reason. So you're working for the baron now?"
Évelyne folds the writ and stores it into a pocket, unsigned. If the magic is harmless, then why didn't he tell them about it?
While Vinccenso and Tesia take a more active role in the investigation, Évelyne concentrates on her surroundings and the behaviour of the people.
To Èvelyne, the people seem a little less animated and cheerful today. Many people whisper to each other and look mournfully at Quiverpike's manor. Somehow, the news of the stolen stone got out and is having a significant effect on the townsfolk.
Tesia hangs around in the room looking different things over to see if she can discover anything useful.
She looks around for a while seemingly distracted and waits to see if she is needed for anything else. I wonder with all this going on if they are going to have any of the shows today. I didn't get to see a single one....sigh.
Everything appears to have remained the same since you were here last night.
As you are standing about the manor, you hear a droning sound which seems to be coming from near the river.
Upon hearing the noise Tesia snaps out of it and looks around with an odd sort of expression on her face.
"What's that noise?" She walks outside of the manor, pausing to see if anyone else hears it before continuing to walk toward where the strange sound is coming from.
"Giant grasshoppers, perhaps?" Évelyne suggests, and while her tone is joking, she thinks to herself that giant grasshoppers would actually be kind of interesting to see, even though her ability to speak with animals would probably not work on them. She signals for the others to tag along and then hurries after Tesia.
The group takes a look outside the manor and sees some sort of large balloon inflating down by the river.
Évelyne stares at the balloon. Intensively. She reaches out and tries to take it into her hand and scans it for any clues about its origin, then diverts her attention into the surrounding area.
Giant Grasshoppers?
Vinccenso allows himself to be diverted, momentarily, by Evelyne's antics before shaking his head & returning his attention to the matters at hand.