Innistrad: An Unstable Realm (Inactive)

Game Master leinathan

With Karthan's business done he turns to the recruits with him as he makes his way back to the tavern, "Find Deckard and tell him that he and the rest of the company are to repot to the tavern by tomorrow afternoon. We need to have a discussion regarding the company's future. I'll be in a meeting throughout most of the morning. Off with you then."

The trio in Sotos' house head into the open door, discovering a dusty-but-well-appointed office. Bookshelves line the walls, and a window looks out over the dismal garden in the yard below. The rain has started again, and the office is filled with the 'tap-tap' sound of the drops on the glass.

A desk dominates most of the room. Solid wood and decorated with a number of pointless knickknacks, the thing sits in the office's center. Two meeting chairs face the desk, but they are quite short, so that anyone sitting in them will have their eye-level be nearly at the level of the desk-top.

Sitting in a leather chair behind the desk is a corpse. Taime recognizes the corpse as her client Sotos, though much of what she remembers about the horny nobleman's features have shriveled away. His white blouse is open in front, and crusted with old blood, and his torso and pants are both totally drenched with blood. It smells musty, like death.

Unconcerned, Li'omrut turns and opens the next two doors. He finds two bedrooms -- one, a master bedroom, with a walk-in closet full of frilly suits, a vanity equipped with washbasin, and an immense round feather bed. The second, a little girl's room, with pink sheets, wooden dolls, a wardrobe painted white, a wall-length mirror, and hanging lacy sheets.

Taime searches through the man's desk. She finds a few items of note, aside from the regular mundania of office supplies. A small locked box likely contains some important funds. A small leatherbound book, after a few glances, seems to be a ledger of daily business activities. Taime also finds a shiny silver dagger in one of the drawers -- perhaps used as a letter-opener by Sotos, but clearly intended in its design for sticking into the hearts of werewolves. Lycanthropic imagery features in small etchings along the blade.

Relevant skills searching for clues may include Heal, Knowledge (what you think might have done this) (if you want to roll everything, you should roll separately), Survival, and Perception (looking for something in particular). All except Perception are trained-only.

If Taime wants to read the ledger, it will take about 30 minutes of concentration to get a useful amount of information.

Karthan's underlings nod tiredly to their leader as the group walks back into the center of town. "We'll summon Deckard and the rest," they promise. "And meet with you by tomorrow afternoon. And then we'll be getting orders about enforcing some new rules around here?"

Regardless of Karthan's actual answer, they salute and run off home. They'll sleep in tonight and go rouse the crew tomorrow. Deckard will make sure everyone is properly armed and armored and prepared to listen when Karthan shows up.

Karthan meanwhile heads back to base camp. After a long day, with so much conflict to think about, the main thing on his mind is rest.

- - - -

Meanwhile, Eliana's friend Misana listens to her upset rant with empathy and patience, nodding along with the highs and lows of the story. The other Cathar tries to consider carefully how to respond to Eliana. She lays a kind hand on her friend's armored shoulder. "It sounds like you tried your best to do the right thing," she says, inclining her shoulders a bit and trying to smile. Her next response is colored by the disappearance of her smile and a small sigh. "I don't think funding can protect us from mad angels, though. You need someone strong to challenge an angel. You said you fought alongside that demon, right? What if we use some of that funding to pay the demon directly, but to protect the city from evil?"

Meanwhile, Eliana's friend Misana listens to her upset rant with empathy and patience, nodding along with the highs and lows of the story. The other Cathar tries to consider carefully how to respond to Eliana. She lays a kind hand on her friend's armored shoulder. "It sounds like you tried your best to do the right thing," she says, inclining her shoulders a bit and trying to smile. Her next response is colored by the disappearance of her smile and a small sigh. "I don't think funding can protect us from mad angels, though. You need someone strong to challenge an angel. You said you fought alongside that demon, right? What if we use some of that funding to pay the demon directly, but to protect the city from evil?"

She let out a small sigh and gave Misana a grateful smile as she put her hand onto her shoulder. Listening to what she said, her eyes widened significantly as she brought up the idea of HIRING the demon. She opened her mouth to respond to that, before closing it as she really thought about it. "He was strong enough to at least stand for a time, though it seemed like he'd have died without the rest of us there... If we hired him we'd be able to observe him better. Plus it'd mean he wouldn't be collecting taxes for the merchants, making him less likely to piss off the populace... I'll have to broach the idea to Sternmason."

Standing up, she stretched a bit before giving the other woman a hug. "Thanks for the talk Misana, you always know what to say." Giving her one last smile, she went off to get ready for sleep herself. There was a lot to handle tomorrow, better be fresh-faced for it.

Tiame looks around the office room. The dead body in the chair, nor the smell doesn't seem to phase her. "Well - that seems to be our man.", she lets out an emotionless statement. There is a hint of disappointment in her face, but she is already scanning the room for whatever caused this. After she goes through the room, she carefully puts aside the ledger, the silver blade, and the lockbox.

Then she comes closer to the body to examine it. Just visually for now.

Heal: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Anything that could resemble claw marks or such? I would look and try to identify any wounds on the skin or bones and find out what seems to have caused them.

Upon closer inspection, the corpse seems to be missing its internal organs. The lower half of the corpse is soaked in blood because something opened up the torso and removed the intestines, heart, liver, and lungs. The marks are too precise to be the result of some creature's claws. It seems that the incision was done by some sort of medical instrument.

There is no obvious fatal wound, other than the hole in his midsection. One could conclude that he was operated on while alive, and that blood loss was the cause of death, but he seems also to have some strange damage to his body inconsistent with simply bleeding out. He seems to have been aged, which is a symptom associated with negative energy.

Very carful not to touch anything she walks around the room. Her eyes glow blue for a short while.

Detect magic/psionics - if we are using transparency rules

Then she stops and studied the body.

Taking 10 for 17 on all KN skills

In this game, magic and psionics are the same thing.

I was hoping that you would use some judgment and roll a few dice, but I can present some commonish knowledge on everything -- DC 15 is relatively common knowledge, DC 20-25 is expert knowledge, and DC 30 is secret knowledge. Generally.

Isabela's detection spell finds one source of magic in the room -- the silver dagger laying on the table where Taime put it down.

Isabela's broad knowledge about everything allows her to rule some things out, but it doesn't point out any obvious culprits like more specialized training might. There's no famous local killer with internal organ removal as an M.O. No common spell does this, so it was probably done by hand. The precision of the would means it was either an extremely sharp claw very precisely applied, or it was done by scalpel. Scalpel usage implies the need for hands, which are generally not possessed by oozes, animals, dragons, plant creatures, etc. However, Isabela can't think of any one specific thing that this definitely is.

Just looking around she can deduce a few things,
She goes in and looks closer at the wound
heal 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

Then thinking on the Organ-Killer
She tries to remember anything about him
Local Kn 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

Last, of all she walks over to the Silver knife, picks it up and looks at it. Cloesr

[ooc]Spell Craft 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

A lot of stuff was/is going down at work that took up a lot of time. Apologies for any delay I've caused. Work stuff is still going on, and I'll try to keep up, but feel free to bot me if I'm holding things up.

Li'Omrut gave a chuckle of surprise at finding the corpse, very bloodied and sitting up behind the desk.

"Yikes!"

Noting that Tiame and Isabela are searching that room and the body pretty thoroughly, the demon moves on. Finding the master bedroom, he silently claimed it for his own, but finding the other bedroom surprised him more than the corpse. Thinking of the smaller chairs in the office, Li'Omrut narrows his eyes suspiciously and snoops around this seemingly little girls room.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

He searches the wardrobe and behind the mirror, first.

After her initial examination, Tiame feels like she has a gist of the cause of death, but decides to check on the very thing that borught her here to begin with. She undoes the pants from the cadaver and checks on the groin. She tries to pull on it gently a few times, and gives a gentle bend and twist, hoping it won't stay in her hand.

I would like to find out whether there are any abnormalities or whether it would get separated from the body at some point, it probably will be an educated guess, based on the state of the cadaver.

She looks at the others in the room, who would probably be baffled by this. "Don't worry. Professional curiosity. This..." - she points to the phallus in her hand - "is something I grew back home. The man came looking for me and paid me to do so. I just want to know whether it set in as intended."

"Mittens, would you mind cleaning these up? I prefer to not have dead tissue on my hands." Tiame presents her hands to the cat. Sinri looks at her protege, and focuses for a moment. In an instand, Tiame's hands are meticulously clean.

Sinri can cast Prestidigitation at will.

She smells them, seems satisfied, but decides to wipe them in the drapery for good measure, or perhaps just by habit. "Thanks."

She walks over to the items she put aside, and starts thumbing through the ledger. "I assume we are staying the night?"

Li'omrut searches through the little girl's room, checking behind the mirror and underneath the bed, understandably suspicious that some ghost or zombie might be somewhere in the house. Fortunately none of those things are there. The room is safe -- if still a little creepy. Clearly no little girl lives here. Dust lies thick on the sheets, the dolls, and on the vanity.

Taime goes through the man's business ledger, looking for evidence. It takes her a little while to absorb the contents of the graphs and tables, but eventually a picture becomes clear: formerly wealthy, Sotos' trading partners stopped doing business with him over the course of the last year or two. His fortunes have slowly dwindled. As any rich man does, he began to slow up on his expenses to preserve his fortune. Egregiously, it seems that he stopped paying his servants.

Ongoing investigation or not, there's not much more to find in the office or the bedroom. Li'omrut, Taime, and Isabela are exhausted. Eventually they all find someplace to curl up and fall asleep somewhere in that mansion.

Karthan heads back to the tavern. A few of the others are still awake at this late hour, and they greet him, but nobody stops him as he, too, falls into bed.

Misana does what she can to console Eliana, but eventually the two cathars must also head to bed.

The next morning is sunny and bright. The skies are blue, the birds are singing, and the flowers are blooming after their excessive watering over the last few rainy days. Li'omrut, Taime, and Isabela awaken to find that no one has bothered to come to the Sotos estate. The group is still alone in a mansion with a corpse. Karthan wakes with some work to do -- he has to try to convince the merchants to fund his endeavor. Eliana's scheduled commitment for today is to meet with Karthan.

We're at a new day! If you have damage, recover an amount equal to your level + your CON mod. Karthan, Taime, please prepare new maneuvers and spells. Recover spells and power points fully.

Isabela looked for a nice bedroom, something private. closing the door she placed just above it.

"Eyes open Hex, I need some rest"

::"Yes mam"::

Came the response. Now being watched over, she undressed and sat on the simple bed.

What a day

Her cover was gone, and with it her house. Well, that was no great loss, she and moved many times, and with another look came another life. No regrets, no looking back. She had long since observed that once she changed her form she took on some of its mannerisms and manners, even thinking processes. The old one had been getting stale. She thought of the child now dead. She was mad at herself for not killing the monster doing this. But for now, it would not strike again for a while. She had to deal with the here and now. What a mess, a mad angle, and now she was running with a witch and a demon. She thought about just walking away, slipping into the night, and never looking back. It was tempting, but... arrr there is was again, fate, her faith in it and the fact that the events of the day, pointed so much to the hand of fate being in play.

"Everything happened for a reason"

It was faith the kept her going even in the darkest knights. She reached up and put her hand around the talisman her lover had given her. More worlds than stars He had said And in each one a version of you, an infinite number of selves. Each one walking its own path So on this one she was meant to be just where she was. This made up her mind to stay.

"So then, let's see where this path takes me"

She said to herself. Before laying back on bed,

closing her eyes she dreamed of the day.

======

Morning, Dressed, clean and well kept she was late down to the others.
She had the same form had she had the day before. And sitting dranks some water, before addressing the others.

"So then, do you have a plan of what we shall do next?"

For once in a very longtime Karthan had a dreamless restful night. No recruits witha deathwish and a bucket of water, no nightmares, no sudden flashes of paranoia. Maybe it was the exertion of yesterdays efforts, maybe it was that his mind was busy trying to work out logistics, administration, and the hard work of utilizing civil enforcement rather than martial law. The pain in his chrs and shoulder from the angels blow reminded him that particular event was real.

Peeling off bis bloodied tunic he wrinkled his nose at it. Despite the looks she gave him and his discomfort in participating in the sort of inbreeding common among the noble classes he would have to visit his cousin. She was a fair hand at cleaning clothes as long as he could put up with her advances. In the meantime he took the time to wash the mostly closed wound and taking sword in hand he steadied his breathing and worked his way through several drills, repeating them ten to twenty times each cycle correcting the tiny errors that creep in and turn into deadly flaws. As he fell into his martial trance he considered the irony of using such techniques against a daughter of the very angel that instructed his ancestors in ages past. It wasn't the first time he had put down angels, but that was through command and troop movement, it was a far cry to go from taking down angel in a storm of crossbows and mage fire, than it was to attempt to do so by your own hand.

Forma done he tried to select his best dress and uniform from amongst the pile discarded at the foot of the bed. Nothing too wrinkled or smelling too much of moth repelling urine and made his way into the common area. Taking a charcoal pencils and some paper with him he worked out some notes to focus his proposal and hammer in the problems with the city, and importantly, how they stood in the way of profit. Breakfast was heavy, as was tradition for laborers and dock workers, but not unwelcome. He'd need all the energy he could get to accomplish what needed to be done today.

While doing so he keot his ears and his table open. He wanted to hear what effect, if any, last nights mob had on folk.

1d20 + 14 ⇒ (4) + 14 = 18 diplomavy to gether info.

Claiming the house's master bedroom for himself, Li'Omrut sprawled on the large bed with his arms and legs akimbo and remained in that position as he snored the night away. He wasn't much for reflection, but his first thought when he woke up in the morning was that he probably couldn't go back to his master's estate. At least, not until things blew over. His second thought was that if that angel came after him again, he would probably be better off sticking with the vampire and humans that the angel was also pissed off at. He had his third thought as he joined Isabela and Tiame...

"So then, do you have a plan of what we shall do next?"

"I do! The plan is called 'breakfast.'

"If our esteemed-yet-deceased host doesn't have anything available, perhaps one of you will be up for a run to a nearby market while in disguise."

Waking up to a bright new day, Eliana went about her usual morning routine to get ready. Luckily while inside the building, her curse was not nearly as much of a hindrance as when she was outside. This part of the day, she... actually felt fairly normal. Like she could forget all the horrors that happened in her lifetime. At least until she glanced into a mirror and saw these foggy orbs staring back into her. Letting out a sigh, she finished preparing herself all the same.

Exiting the barracks, she brought two fingers to her lips and let out a shrill whistle. A keening cry answered it, and Moonwing glided on down to join her in the courtyard. Running a hand across the griffin's head, she smiled a bit. "You find something to eat last night my friend?" He let out a chirping noise she'd come to recognize as a 'yes'. "That's good to hear. We've got to wait for Sternmason, so do you mind keeping an eye out for him for me?"

Letting out another chirping noise, she stepped back and he spread his wings. Flapping into the air, the griffin... sat himself down onto a nearby roof to keep an eye on the road. While Eliana... just waited beside the guard for the little complex they'd called their own.

stood

"Well when you put it like"

Then headed out of out the house to get something.

Disguise takes 10 for 34

Tiame wakes up in a reading chair in the office when Isabela and Li'Omrut start making noises. The ledger is on the floor near her feet, open on a random page as it fell down. Across the chair, beyond the table - and the remains of Sotos - Sinri is sitting on a window sill, watching Havengul's skyline appearing on the horizon as the sun rises.

"Morning...", Tiame greets everyone as she wipes drool from under the corner of her mouth. By the looks of it, she is not the early bird type. She stands up, picks up the ledger, and quietly stores it in one of her pockets. "Since we are officially squatters now, I will go check the kitchen. Maybe some dried stuff is still edible. And maybe we'll find a jar of coffee or something." She walks past the desk, and looks at the corpse once again, now that it is actually illuminated by natural light, pondering whether she missed any details.

Any chance to figure out how many days our friend Sotos is here like this? I can do another roll, if you want. Just wondering if that information would be included in the first one.

"I agree with Isabela. A plan would be nice. Definitely a good point to start figuring out what rituals would be useful for the day. But breakfast is a good starting point."

The fun of prepared casters - good to know what we will be doing, so I can get the prep done. Until then, the unused spells from the last dayremain, I believe. Let me know if you want to do it differently here. So that I know that I start with a blank slate, so to speak.

She tries to straighten her clothing, then gives up and waddles towards the kitchen. Before she leaves the room, she puts her hand on the doorframe, and looks back into the room. "Demon-boy-... man-thing...", she thinks for a moment. "Li'Ormut - that's the name I'm looking for." she smiles, satisfied she remembered this early, and taps her temple with her index finger. "You want to stay here and chat with the dead guy, or go downstairs and join the pantry raid?"

Li'Omrut grunted and joined Tiame on her trek to the pantry. As they passed by the corpse, he hooked a thumb at it.

"I wouldn't be as creeped out by that thing as much as the reason he has a little girl's room that he keeps. That room doesn't get used."

Isabela heads out into the streets. With the sun in the sky and the birds in the air, it's a much more cheerful day today than the previous day. People are out and about, though Isabela gets the general impression that they're smiling through their worries. No one pays her, a random blonde girl out to the market for food, a second thought.

What is Isabela going to bring back?

Taime and Li'omrut head down to the kitchen and pantry. The dining room is totally separated from the kitchen in this house, and the kitchen is kind of tucked away inside of the servants' quarters. The pair don't run into any servants when they head down there. The kitchen was stocked when the unfortunate death occurred, so the pantry is full of oatmeal and rice and flour and nuts and cheeses wrapped in wax. There are even a few bottles of red wine.

Other than that, there are some fruits and vegetables -- a few tomatoes, oranges, beets, and onions. The tomatoes are a little bit soft and out-of-date.

Taime: He's been dead just three days.

Taime, you get to keep the previous day's spells until you use them, but you should prepare your spells before going out and doing anything.

Karthan heads out into the city to ask around and see what peoples' impressions are of the previous night's events. In general, he gets the impression that people have mixed feelings about the mob. On the one hand, it was a literal angel that showed up. People still generally believe that angels are on the side of good, and that demons should be destroyed. However, the recent events have shaken their faith, and in the bars and coffeehouses all over the city rousing debates are occurring about how things are different now.

"Well - not that I was too familiar with the guy, but he mentioned a wife once or twice." Tiame continues as she searches the cabinets. "The ledger states he was not able to pay for service. Maybe that's an explanation for all the dust."

She sighs as she goes through the produce. "Why I still have faith in humanity after seeing corrupted angels, is another matter."

"You're naive because you lived alone in the woods your whole life.", Sinri snickers from the table, then returns to cleaning himself.

"Bad tutelage... Teacher.", Tiame responds with a smile on her face, and throws a tomato at the cat. That was the idea, anyway. The tomato ends up splattered against a wall. Sinri doesn't even have to dodge. "Hm. Can't blame the wind this time." she shrugs.

"Perhaps you should find someone that can teach you how to aim, as well?" - the cat jests as his head turns away from the newly decorated wall. His attention shifts to Li'Omrut. He scans the demon top to bottom. "I keep wondering - how are you going to get out of this house? You're a tall fellow. And the horns don't help."

Karthan was somewhat relieved by the mixed feelings and uncertainty that was fogging the opinions of the folk on the streets. Certainty was far more frightful in a mob when one wanted to effect change. This way at least, the idea of bringing order in the form of people you can talk to, recognize, and reason with was quite palatable compared to the alternatives.

He was still deep in thought trying to organize and strqtegize dozens of different questions and issues when he turned the corner and nearly walked straight into the compound without thinking. It's only as he looks up that hw notices Eliana at the front.

"Pardon me, lost in the moment. I take it you're ready to confront the most vile elements in the city?

As Karthan approached, Moonwing let out a cry into the sky to let her know. Looking up, she watched him approach, smirking slightly as he didn't notice her standing there. Moonwing hopped down from his perch, gliding to land beside Eliana as she nodded. "That I am... Though speaking of the vilest elements in the city, I've got a proposal for you while we walk. Related to the demon."

She motioned for Karthan to follow, even as Moonwing padded along beside her.

"His attention shifts to Li'Omrut. He scans the demon top to bottom. [b]"I keep wondering - how are you going to get out of this house? You're a tall fellow. And the horns don't help."

"When the hysteria that the angel has stirred up has had a bit of time to settle down, I'll be fine. I've lived in this city for years, and most people didn't really care. Those few that did -- through a misplaced assumption that a demon automatically means 'enemy' -- wouldn't or couldn't stand up to me, and things will probably stay the same in that regard."

Li'Omrut looks from the cat up to Tiame and guffaws.

"I haven't done anything wrong! But I've known for years that angels are here because they hate my kind, not because they care about humans. Don't confuse them showing their true colors with anything to do with humans and your faith in them."

She looks for some eggs, a lofe of bread and some butter.

Motioning for her to follow him Karthan starts making his way towards the merchanta guild, "oh, did you want to hang the demons summoner or burn them at the stake? Hanging's cleaner but requires your executioner to actually know what theyre doing. Burnings a greater spectacle for the public but cruel."

"... Actually, neither. I want to investigate the demon more closely... And potentially get him in our service." She raised a hand to stop any outbursts before she could explain. "That angel reminded me of something. There are plenty of threats out there that your average man can't deal with. That angel, for example, would have likely killed either of us if we were forced to fight her on our own. After all the destruction, there are precious few capable of standing up to the worst Innistrad has to offer."

"That demon managed to survive against the angel's wrath. It has shown willingness to serve others, I assume on a matter of pay. If we were to hire him in place of the Merchant's Guild, we would be able to observe him more easily, direct him to more useful things than hounding people for their taxes, and it would likely make the people calmer. Since there's not the threat of a literal demon knocking on their door." She laid out all the points as to why logically they should. Of course, there was no way this was gonna be easy. Odds are he'd have some kind of rebuttal.

Diplomacy 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (18) + 14 = 32

As she buys her food for them and heads back.

Isabela returns to the abandoned manor to find Taime and Li'omrut in the midst of a conversation about what to do next. Li'Omrut was just saying that all he needs to do is wait out a few days and everything will be fine.

Karthan and Eliana walk down the street together towards the merchants' guild. They discuss the demon, payment, and the angel that attacked the previous night. The merchants' guild is open today, and giving away small bags of rice (along with a propagandized chat and a handshake) to visitors.

It doesn't seem like we're done yet deciding what to do next.

Karthan listens but it is clear that the idea is more than a little hard to sell, "yes, instead of being afraid of a demon collecting money they can be afraid of a demon knocking on their door and dragging their son away for stabbing the wrong man the night before. Delightful imagery. I've met a few mages before, none who summoned demons would be considered sane. Also, we're assuming this demon and his summoner survived the mob. Let's try to secure funding for human guardsmen before we try to enploy ancient evils and their crazed masters yes?"

"Well now this is cute"

She places the basket on the table.

"The town is abuzz with the events yesterday. The fine Gent and the Grifin Captin have gone back to their respective homes by all accounts. No doubt to report."

From the basket, she brings out a bottle of red wine.
Looking about she fines what's needed to open it and pour herself a drink.

Taking a seat she sips it, not drinking fast at all.

"So the, we stay here for a few days. See how it blows over. There is food there to last you. I however may have to nip out for a bite to eat."

"To be fair, I've seen no evidence whatsoever of there being a summoner. Sometimes demons do just crawl up out of some hole or another. But either way, fair enough. Focus on what was originally discussed." Trying to get the demon involved when there wasn't that much information was probably a bad idea. To get more information though she'd need to actually investigate, which might take a bit. Maybe after this meeting.

Li'Omrut picks up the bottle of wine and swirls it around to see how full it is through the glass. He gives himself a healthy pour and breaks off a chunk of bread. He dunks the bread in the wine and then stuffs the soggy chunk into his mouth.

"You said earlier that you drink the blood of the dead," he observes after swallowing. "Where do you go to find dead people? Could you use the guy upstairs?"

She looks at the Demon over her Glass.

"Yes I did, and I do, and in a city like this someone is always showing up dead. As for the dead man above, no far too gamey"

Who looks to be giving out the rice? Secretaries, guards, full members doing a public show of generosoty or something else?

Tiame peeks into the basket to find something to chew on. "Well, it's mostly the fact that the celestials are supposed to be the paragon of virtue. But I guess nothing is perfect. Especially in this world.", she looks at Sinri as she says that. The cat looks back at her. "If I didn't know you for 30 years, I would be offended right now. Look at the people in this room. A demon and a vampire. Surprisingly friendly and docile. And the angel yesterday? Self-righteous and there was nothing you could do to change her mind. She almost attacked a peasant girl because she dared to request help for her sick family. Nothing is perfect. Stop existing in a black and white world already. You're not some 20 year old child and should know better at this point."

"True. I just ... don't get out very much." - Tiame takes in the lesson, but to someone not familiar with her and Sinri's relationship, it might seem like she is being scolded.

"Right - to the topic at hand. Isabela...", she looks at the detective. "I hear you have been investigating some crimes in the area. Remember any body found without internal organs? Because the body upstairs is devoid of life and innards. Perhaps we should get in touch with the cathar we met yesterday? The one with the Griffon. Eliana?"

She takes some bread and takes small bites.

"We could send Sinri to find her. Or I could prepare a ritual to contact her. If she has a strong will, and the contact comes from an unknown source, she might be able to stop that connection from happening."

Kn (Local) 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

"Hummm, there was this once case..."

Over to you GM if she remembered anything

Karthan and Eliana,

Karthan and Eliana reach the courtyard with the Merchant's Guild. The cobblestones that line this courtyard give the pair a break from the mud that floors the rest of the city. Some people throng in the courtyard, but somewhat fewer than on a nice or busy day.

Strong workers are at work in front of the Guild, repairing the entryway damaged by the angel. In front of the workers stand three Merchants of the Guild: Russo Vermicelli, Antonio Benissimo, and Julius Lambourghini. The three are all fat, silken-clad, and jewelry-encrusted nobles. They have employed three guards and a couple of covered wagons filled with bags of rice. The guards are handing out the rice to passersby "with compliments from the Merchant's Guild".

"It was some time ago now, but I think a well-to-do wife found out her husband was philandering and so she cut his heart out. Humans are so funny when it comes to Revenge. But I don't think this and that case are linked. The wife would be long dead by now."

Then she askes her own question.

"So this man was down on his luck, and stopped paying the servants. It could be fruitful to find those servants and ask them some questions. About the girl and such. I would suspect some could be found, say in the undercity reaches and inhabit slums. Darker realms I know well. And so many nice places to eat down there."

She smiles a cheeky smile at the other two and her incisors just for that moment, a little too long.

"Does this dead guy, his wife, or anyone who's lived here have anything at all to do with the angel? Because I think that's the priority right now. No telling when it will be back. And if all this with the guy and his missing heart happened as long ago as you're saying, it seems likely you're too late to do anything about it."

He juts his chin at Tiame.

"I like your idea of teaming up with the other people the angel is mad at."

She nods at the Demon,

"So you know the story of the wife as well then. Can you remember any other details?"

She picks up her wine glass again.

"As for walking about town to meet the others from last night. There was that bit of the plan about laying low and keeping away from the entire city baying for your horns was there not. Mind you in the undercity, they do not so care about who or what you are. So long as you have coin to hid with"

She nods at the Demon,

"So you know the story of the wife as well then. Can you remember any other details?"

"What? No. I was just repeating back to you details that you just said."

"As for walking about town to meet the others from last night. There was that bit of the plan about laying low and keeping away from the entire city baying for your horns was there not. Mind you in the undercity, they do not so care about who or what you are. So long as you have coin to hid with"

Li'Omrut is about to reply with something snarky, but he stops and reconsiders.

"This undercity may be a good option."

Havengul's undercity is a series of clubs, parlors, boarding houses and drug dens in the city's darkest alleyways and corners. The sorts of places polite people avoid in the neighborhoods that wealthy people never go to (unless it's to pick up drugs from the neighborhoods).

Still, to get Li'omrut there, he must be transported across the city somehow.

1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16 know nobility and royalty what do i know of these three and their role in the guild?

Karthan slowed his pace as he approached the guild hall noting the goodwill donations, the show of force and the members themselves. He wondered how many of those guards were fresh hires after last nights incident. The cleanliness of the streets were unsurprising given that all the towns collective scum ended up here sooner or later. He decided on a soft approach before he started his pitch.

"Good morning gentlemen! I trust all of you slept well after last nights demonstrations about the dangers even illustrious men such as yourselves might face in these perilous times? Courageous indeed that you deem it fit to generously represent and provide despite the forces that seem arrayed upon you," Karthan smiled brightly though the effect on his weathered and scarred face was only a little more benevolent than a sharks.

1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27 Diplomacy

Eliana watched the three men of wealth for a few moments, letting Karthan proceed forward to interact with them. She just followed after, letting Moonwing and herself loom in the background. She would speak when the time was right. No need to bloat the conversation with her interference. Karthan seemed very charismatic himself, so it wasn't like she was ruining their chances.

"What? No. I was just repeating back to you details that you just said."

She pretends to write on her open hand.

"Note to self, don't use sarcasm on Li'Omrut"

Looking back up with that misgivis grin again,

"I jest, but yes the undercity. And I know just the right house of disrepute, where you will blend right in. A Gambling den I have often been too, Thing is, it's on the other side of the city, so in a couple of days. A nice night run is in order"

She refilled her glass.

"In the meantime, I could go out and find Eliana, and see if she would be willing to meet us."

"Did Sotos have anything to do with the angel? Well, your guess is as good as mine. I didn't know him that well. Just a client. While I -did- meet him a few years ago, we didn't talk much, except for our mutual business arrangement."

"As for smuggling Li'Omrut out of the house, we could get a wagon and shove him inside a barrel or something. With your convincing disguises, it might be doable when the streets are almost empty. Who's would check a wagon with some barrels or boxes on it?", Tiame thinks out loud.

"Everyone who levies the local sellers." - Sinri adds quietly and continues to dine on a mouse he caught near the pantry.

The witch frowns in thought. "Yes, perhaps. Should we get in touch with the cathar, then? I can send Sinri to deliver a message quietly, just to be on the safe side. We can try to find a wagon here on the property."

She shrugs. "If they owned one."

"As for smuggling Li'Omrut out of the house, we could get a wagon and shove him inside a barrel or something. With your convincing disguises, it might be doable when the streets are almost empty. Who's would check a wagon with some barrels or boxes on it?", Tiame thinks out loud.

Li'Omrut snaps his fingers and points.

"Hey, find a coffin! That's less likely to be inspected, and I can get out of it quicker if things turn hairy. I bet the undead queen of comedy here knows where to get one."

1d20+2 know nobility and royalty what do i know of these three and their role in the guild?

"Good morning gentlemen! I trust all of you slept well after last nights demonstrations about the dangers even illustrious men such as yourselves might face in these perilous times? Courageous indeed that you deem it fit to generously represent and provide despite the forces that seem arrayed upon you," Karthan smiled brightly though the effect on his weathered and scarred face was only a little more benevolent than a sharks.

Karthan approaches the merchants with a kind word and a smile. The guards detect no threat from him and ignore him (although they give somewhat furtive looks to Eliana), continuing to pass out grain. Meanwhile, Julius Lambourghini, the fattest and most jewelry-encrusted merchant of the three, steps forward with a smile to address Karthan. "Ah," replies the merchant, "Sternmason, a loyal man-at-arms. Thank you for your compliments. We do our best, as do all citizens of Havengul, to help our neighbors get through difficult times of strife. It is our duty, is it not, to offer freely that which we have in plenty?"

He smiles and then gestures with an open hand. "What can I do for you, Mr. Sternmason?"

Karthan returns the smile with a small bow, "I find your choice of words curious, as I do not recall being under contract with the guild. Nevertheless, I do what all good men of Havengul must in these chaotic days when confronted by true evil, Master Lambourghini. But we can ramble on about the charity in all goodly men until the angels sing our ends. I am here with Lady Carlova," Karthan says gesuting towards Eliana respectfully, "Master Gryff-Knight and Commander of the armed forces for the Order of Saint Traft here in the city. After the events of last night we came to an agreement for a proposal your guild may find amenable regarding the future of this city's peace, prosperity, and our continued support in the defense of your interests here. I do understand, however, that such weighty proposals are Ill suited to being discussed with naught but a portion of your council nor on the open street. May we schedule an appropriate hour upon which to return and present our full proposal?"