Also, when you have a moment, can you make the campaign temporarily inactive? I do so love a tidy campaign page. :)
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Of course, always. Real life first. And I know Shari will agree once she's allowed screens again.
Alua stared at the pouch of money in surprise. She glanced guiltily at the shopkeeper. I guess he's not using it now. She wondered if he had a family somewhere. "We should see if he has next-of-kin, but if not, we'll split it." She tucked the pouch safely away. "So, it looks like we have two of the escaped convicts involved. Vrinn, who stole the statue the first time, and possibly this time, and now Grimgraj. This is certainly looking less and less like a coincidence." Turning to Baran, she said, "Lead the way to the Inquisitive. Talking to Victor is our next step, before we hit the streets trying to track down 2, or possibly 6, dangerous criminals."
I don't know if I"m missing something, or forgotten something. It seems to me our only lead is Victor at this point? Can we go out into the throng and gather info and figure out where he is? Are there other options I'm missing?
Still unnerved by the scene around her that was both familiar and strange, Phin shrugged, "If there were multiple fights here, maybe one involved taking Zelina and the other killing the shopkeeper. I find it hard to believe that Zelina would have killed the one she came to question." Alua nodded. "Seems unlikely, and Zelina is a professional. The question is - was she interrupted in her questioning, or did the murder happen after she and her team left?" She shook her head. "I guess we go to see Saint-Demain, though as leads go, it seems thin. Surely he's not the only one in Sharn who likes kingfishers." She really hoped they weren't reading too much into that. She didn't even know what a kingfisher looked like - what if it was some other bird? Still, the first 48 hours were vital in a kidnapping, and they didn't have time to stand around and second guess themselves.
Alua tried to sort through all the clues - not an easy job for her slow brain. "Surely Saint-Demain isn't involved. Even if the kingfisher is for him, it doesn't mean he's involved in all this. Maybe it's a coincidence? Or maybe he was undercover - ordering something so he would have a legitimate reason to be here." She wondered what Sebastian would say if he were here. Her boss had spoken often of Victor Saint-Demain - he'd seemed to be alternatingly inspired by the man, jealous of him, and insulted by him. Apparently there had been some sort of meeting between the two, before Alua has met Sebastian, and it hadn't gone well. Could it be possible that the genius inquisitor had turned bad? Had his ego and pride finally brought the man low? Or had he finally met his match? And if that was the case, what chance did she have? Her thoughts were interrupted by Baran's strange poem. The barrage of knocking soon had her head ringing, and she found it hard to concentrate on anything. Her eyes wide and incomprehending, she covered her ears and waited for it to stop. "So much for being a stealth mission," she said when it was over. "Everybody on the street must have heard that."
Alua rushed to the victim's side, but quickly realized that he was beyond help. She stood and watched Baran work; the young man was thorough and knew what he was doing. Standing, she stretched out to crack her back and neck. Though smaller, the shop reminded her a bit of her parent's shop. It seemed two lifetimes ago since she'd seen it, yet the image in her mind's eye was as fresh as if it had been yesterday. She wondered if the smith had been as meticulous with his records as her family was. Alua looked around for a ledger or a journal, hoping to find a clue as to his recent activities.
Alua smiled as Phin discovered the powder. For the sake of the audience that Baran had expertly lured in, she said, "Well spotted," to the elf. "Erix, do you have a sample jar?" She waited for the amateur alchemist to pass one to Phin, then said, "We can analyze this back at headquarters."
As they'd run out of questions, and time was of the essence, Alua stood. "We'll get to work immediately. Your trust in us has not been misplaced. We'll find your daughter, and the statue." Alua hoped she was telling the truth. They were led from the Baron to an undersecretary, who provided them with an advance in order to begin their investigations. They were then speedily escorted back out to the street, past the dozens of men and women hurrying about their daily tasks. Once the ornate door closed behind them, Alua said, "Shall we all go to the silversmith first? Or should we split up, and some of us try to track down Saint-Demaine?"
I'm back after a nice, unplugged Christmas. Catching up now. Hope everybody had a relaxing holiday. EDIT - I was rereading the interaction, and forgot about 12 fingered Betty. Great thief name!!
Glad to hear things are looking up. Hope you continue to feel better and better.
"Before we begin," Alua said, "there's the matter of our rate. To keep it easy, we'll charge whatever the going rate is for one of your teams, half up front, and half once we find and return your daughter."
Alua's pale eyebrows went up. "The statue was stolen soon after the previous thief escapes captivity? That hardly seems coincidental. If Victor Saint-Demain was the one who retrieved it last time, we should certainly speak to him this time." She thought a moment, then added, "We'll start with the silversmith. We'll find her and bring her back, Baron d'Medani."
Alua listened carefully, trying to pick up both what the man was saying, and leaving unspoken.
After Baran asked his questions, she asked her own. "Who are the other members of your daughter's team? Who else knew of her intention to visit Calinto Mulhar?" She thought a moment, then added, "Is it usual to deploy your teams away from Sharn? It could be that this theft was specifically timed. How many teams do you have, and where are they currently?"
Alua looked around the mansion, impressed in spite of herself. It was much more tasteful than the last mansion she'd been in. Still, as she tried to calculate the value of the furnishings alone, she couldn't help but think about the people in the Fallen she helped care for, and how much food, clothes and medicine this could help buy. Feeling sedate, she thanked the Baron for the offer of a drink, but refused. After his opening statement, she said, "I'm glad to hear we have trusted people vouching for us. You have my word that anything we learn here today, whether we take the case or not, will not be taken advantage of, nor spoken of to any outside our group."
Alua was pleased, between them they'd managed to pick up a few leads. "I wonder if Erix and I might make some good bait, if we have one who targets healers and one who targets body guards. And with the news that the Ravers have fallen back, deeper into Fallen, that might be a good place to look. And an audience with the Tyrants is good too. But let's get this official bit of business out of the way first." She inspected the others - between changes of clothes and a little magical spit-and-polish, they had scrubbed up pretty well. "Shall we be off?"
Alua nodded approvingly as Erix handed out business cards. She always meant to have some along, but invariable whenever she pulled one out of her pocket, a stray gust of wind would catch it, and the last she'd see of it would be fluttering down over the edge of a railing to be lost out of sight below.
Alua smiled when they got the "reward" from the guards. "That was very gracious. I'm sure they're not over-paid by the house." She tucked the tickets away in a file in her cabinet, in case they were ever needed. "I'll cash this in tomorrow, and split the money up." As Phin got ready to go out, she mentioned fishing for leads on the escaped inmates. "Perhaps we should split the group up, each take one and go fishing." She moved to stand in front of the wanted poster that she'd taken and posted on their wall. "I'll look into Rrreyln. Everybody pick one - who peaks your fancy?" After locking up the office for the evening, Alua made her way down to the district of Fallen, to the Spirestorm temple. She hadn't been there since before the airship journey, and there were many few faces that needed care. Alua rolled up her sleeves and got to work helping dole out food and heal those who needed it. As she moved among the desparate, she spread the word about the inmate's escape, and warned them to stick together in groups as much as possible, to not go out alone. She also asked about Rrreyln; this seemed like the sort of place he might be drawn to. Of course, those poor enough to end up at the Temple in Fallen were not the types to have many options in life, and they merely nodded resignedly. Few here would die of old age, and many would die violently. But forwarned was forarmed, and if this information could save one life, that would be enough.
The big man looked down at himself. "Right. Everyone needs a bath, and clean clothes. First though, we need a strategy on how we're going to handle this." Alua took a long hard look at each of them and had to agree. They were a fairly scruffy looking bunch. "Baran, Lupi - can either of you tidy us up with your...?" she made a vague swishy gesture in the air. "As for strategy, we don't know what this about. Do we? How can we strategize?"
Alua shuddered as the Captain listed off a who's who of the criminally most wanted. "That's...very not good. Any chance they had help on the outside? Or are they that good that they managed this themselves. Do you know if any of the six are past known associates that might stick together, or are they likely to scatter?" The oracle tried to remember if she saw anybody matching one of those descriptions at the beginning.
Whatever upset the captain couldn't be good. Alua stepped forward and said, "Perhaps we can be of help? We are an inquisitive agency. If there are dangerous "guests" on the loose, we are well suited to tracking them down. Our prices are very reasonable. We've worked for the watch before - Seargent Viduk can vouch for us."
The moment the main danger was past, Alua transitiond from battle to triage mode. Moving quickly between the injured and dying, she gave help where it was needed. Calling upon the spirits for help, Alua healed as they flocked to her call, clustering thick around the victims of the battle, innocent and soldier alike. Powered by the spirits, and her own innate will, Alua saved lives and healed hurts. By the time she was drained of power, the back up had arrived, and were taking care of everybody that was left. Sitting back against a broken wagon wheel, Alua allowed herself to catch her breath, and wiped sweat from her brow, leaving a streak of drying blood there instead.
Alua stepped forward, Baran a comforting presence behind her. "Alua Riversong, of ir'Brock Inquisitive, at your service Captain. We can't speak to how it started, as we were on street, there, around the corner. We heard shouting, and a great rush of people running. Amongst the bystanders were some dressed as prisoners, mostly goblin-folk. With some difficulty we moved forward, to assess the main source of danger." Alua continued, retelling the events of the last hour with as much detail as she could remember. The battle had been so sudden and unexpected, however, that she found herself stammering, unable to put the details in order. She turned to the others several times, needing them to fill in the blanks. And around her the spirits clustered, thick and luminous, making it difficult to see the living standing behind them.
Alua scrambled out from under the first wagon, and was about to move under the second, to get to the injured guard. However, Erix was being hampered by a hobgoblin and the monster with a wagon wheel. Jumping to her feet, she swung her morningstar at the hobgoblin, hoping to take his attention and give Erix an opening to finish off the monster.
Alua was already on her feet and moving. "Go for backup if you can. And medical help. There are a lot of people hurt. We'll help get this under control." Coming out of the shop, she saw Lupi using the wand on a goblin who'd attacked her. "Yes! Lupi, freeze as many of them as you can!" The ettin had turned towards her friends, and it was a truly terrifying sight. Even as wounded as it was, the creature was still viciously attacking, and was as strong as an elephant. "A little misfortune, coming your way," Alua muttered, and watched as the nearby spirit of a gnome boy leapt into the fray, tangling itself up with the corpse-weapon the ettin was wielding.
Trusting Phin and Erix to take care of it, Alua scrambled under one of the wagons, intent on getting to the injured and bleeding guards on the other side.
"Alright. That thing looks like it has reach. Who's got ranged? Boss, how 'bout you heal up that guy that went window-diving and get him to ask us for help." Alua nodded and moved into the building the guard had been thrown into. She quickly assessed his injuries before laying her hand on his chest and filling him with healing energies.
As he roused, she said, "ir'Brock inquisitive service, here to help. What happened?"
Alua took in the madness of the battle with a seasoned eye. She was tempted for a moment to help the guards, but the unknown thing to the left was making so much noise that she felt instinctively that was the largest threat. "Hurry, keep moving, get clear," she hustled the onlookers that were streaming past her, and she moved closer to the corner. Keeping an eye on the goblins, should they decide that she looked like their next target, stepped forward until she could see around the corner. Taking a quick peek, she tried to assess the danger.
"What does everyone think?" Alua frowned in thought, then turned to Phin. "I think it's Phin's decision, really. She's the one who's bonded with the weapon. Bur more knowledge is probably good, and if he's loathe to let us keep it, I'd like to see him try to take it forcibly."
Alua sighed and swung her morningstar into her hand. She then touched Erix's shoulder and asked the spirits to give him sanctuary. She hoped that if the crowed panicked, it would make it harder for them to be overrun. She then called for guidance in the upcoming confusion.
Alua sat back in her chair, wondering if she'd said too much to the reporter, or not enough. She sighed, thinking, well, it's too late now. What's done is done. Not for the first time that day, she thought of Sebastian. Was he healthy and safe? What would he think of what they were doing with the company? So much had changed, and she had no idea if she was doing the right things.
"People thought you were dead?" she asked."We were only gone a few weeks. Word must travel fast in the university." For the first time in months, if not years, she thought of her parents. She'd never gone back after the war, after the hospital. Her life in Starilaskur seemed to belong to another person, somebody she'd heard of once but never met. Did her parents think she'd died in the war? They wouldn't have received her death benefits, but that sometimes got missed. Should she let them know she was alive? Or would they have mourned her and moved on? That might be best. After all, she was a broken, changed thing, not much resembling the adventurous, fearless girl who'd left so many years ago. Standing suddenly, she said, "I didn't know you fenced. In fact, I know barely anything about you." She turned to encompass the others, "about most of you. We've saved each others lives more times than I can easily remember, but in many ways, you're mysteries to me. Let's remedy that. I'll get some food and some wine, or ale, or whatever you all would like. Let's play some cards, have some fun, and learn a little more about each other. What do you think?"
Totally no pressure, I'm also feeling a bit of creative fatigue, I don't mind a bit of a slow down. What is it you do for work?
”By the way, you seem to have a real gift for words. Ever considered pursuing a career along those lines? The Inquisitive may not be able to pay its reporters enough for anyone to retire on, but it’s a way of getting one’s own name out there.” Alua's eyes lit up. "That's a wonderful idea, Baran! You do have a gift for storytelling. Maybe you could become our chronicler in truth, and publish some of our exploits for the public to read." Turning to the reporter, she said, "We'll be happy to fill in some of the details, but I would like to see the story before you publish it. Just to make sure none of the details have become..confused."
Alua was of a mind to agree. She and Baran hadn't handled themselves terribly well with House Orien, and she doubted there would be much money coming from them, if any. And asking for hush money felt too close to blackmail. "Ser Soranath is correct. The people have a right to know what happened, and we certainly weren't asked to keep our mouths shut." Turning to the dwarf, she motioned for him to sit in one of the client chairs, and she took position at her desk. A stack of bills fell to the floor, fluttering at her feet, and it took her a moment to retrieve them. Brushing her hair from her face, she said, "First, let us be clear. House Orien is not a client. We were travelers on that train, same as anybody else, and it was simple luck that put us there. We have been holding out a small hope for a reward for our involvement, but that seems unlikely." "What have you heard from the other travelers? Once we know what you've heard, we can fill in the blanks."
Alua was disappointed not to get to speak to a superior. She understood that the lackey she spoke to wasn't taking them terribly seriously. I have to get their attention, so they pass this up the line. She cleared her throat, then hesitated. If attention was needed, then she wasn't the best person for the job. She didn't have Baran's skill at oration or storytelling. Fortunately, the young man was here with her. "As we were intimately involved in the events on the rail, we wanted to volunteer our version of the events. We know that your guards were overrun, and were unable to witness all the events. It is our hope that our perspective will help understand the unfortunate events." Turning to Baran, she said, "Our chronicler, Baran 'Elmswright, will provide our report."
Alua could see that she'd taken the wrong tack with the guard, and she shut her mouth and let the others soften him up. Mother always did say you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. I guess that goes for rewards as well. As they had a little time in Wroat, she went to the Orien headquarters. Waiting politely until the captain made his report, she requested an audience with the 'Marked in charge.
** As the Sharn skyline appeared, Alua felt herself relax - she hadn't even realized how tense she was. Home. We'll be home soon.
Alua's instinct was to demand payment for their prisoner upfront. However, she reminded herself that they hadn't been hired to catch this guy, and the guards were unlikely to hand over their pocket money for him. Also, she was pretty sure that House Orien had jurisdiction on the train, no matter where it was. Bloody houses, and these 'Marked ponies. Taking a breath, she said, "You have come to take custody of our prisoner. Excellent. No need for rough handling, he has been neutralized." She watched as they took the bomb, then said, "I'm very surprised that this rather obvious explosive rig made it through your security. It will be going into my report. Also, it took quite a long time for you to arrive - how many more bandits managed to break into the train? Our car alone saw four bandits, which we were in the process of defeating when the second group of miscreants entered, these in possession of a living spell! That's not something you can smuggle onto the rail in your pocket. It's clear your security has been badly compromised." Shaking her head, she said, "You are incredibly lucky that we were here. The loss of possessions from the bandits, of a major artifact from the Pilfered Wand, and loss of life from this suicide bomber - it seems somewhat of a miracle that any of your trains make it anywhere at all!" Taking out her notepad, she said, "I'll need your names, for my report. And when we arrive in Wroat we'll need to be taking to the House Orien headquarters at once to speak with whoever is in charge of this operation."
There is NO WAY these guards get to take this guy for free!! Alua will be asking for payment. We're PIs after all. How much should she ask for apprehending a dangerous criminal?
Finally he looked to the unconscious man "So... are we hiring him?" Alua shook her head firmly. "I'm sympathetic, but he's clearly not stable. He needs help, not a job." Again, she watched nervously chewing her lip as Phin continued with her work. When it was defused, she sighed in relief. "Do we need to toss it now? If it's fully safe, then maybe we can put some of the parts to a better use." There was no way she was going to hand them back to their unconscious friend.
"My sovereign host! We really coulda' blown everything up ... and for nothing ... I thought I got a look." Alua's anger evaporated in light of Baran's remorse. Taking a deep breath, she patted his shoulder and said, "It's okay. You guys did good. You just scared the everloving khyber out of me." She watched tensely as Phin started to remove the bomb. Then she motioned for Erix to take up position at the door to the carriage, and she took the other side. The last thing the bomb squad needed was somebody rushing into the carriage. However, it seemed nobody was interested in investigating the disturbance. Baran spoke low to the others, "I say we detonate it. This man is troubled but I don't want to help hang him. We detonate the pack and the lightning rail has one less piece of evidence. I'm sure they'll have all of the eye witnesses they want but let's not give them more. It's also perhaps a little less risky ... though not without risk." "I agree," Alua said. "Erix can probably throw that thing far enough that the explosion won't hurt the train. Then we don't have to worry about it any more. What do you say, Erix? Up for some life-or-death shot-put?"
I thought it was a great idea, and Alua will come around. She just got a scare. I can TOTALLY see Baran as a swashbuckler!
It all happened very quickly. One second she was making good progress with the man (she was almost ready to ask his name), and the second, the world exploded into action. Yelping, she leapt from her seat as a blur of colour and violence swept past her. A moment later, and she was standing on the seat, staring down as Phin sheathed her weapon, Erix handed the trigger to Baran, and the man lay unconscious but breathing on the floor. "Ring of Siberys! What in the Twelve Moons were you three thinking! You nearly got us blown to this side of Dolurrh! And not just us! An entire train of civilians!" Jumping down from her perch, she checked to make sure her new friend was still breathing. "Devourer's Teeth. There are so many ways this could have gone wrong. Do you have so little faith in me?" She slumped back, jittery from adrenaline, and tried not to imagine the tangled heap of metal and meat that the explosion would have caused.
0h man, this could go so wrong. Alua is totally going to lose her shit
Alua kept her face sympathetic, and nodded occasionally as the man began to open up to her. As she did so, she signaled for the passengers to move slowly behind her, towards the exit. Likewise, the she gestured for the passengers behind the man to move to the carriage to the left. As she did so, she moved ever-so-slowly towards the people lying on the floor. She lay her hands on the one who was still breathing, and channeled healing directly into their body. As they coughed and came to, the oracle put a finger to her lips, and tried to help them stand and exit the car. She then examined the other person to see if there was any life left in them.
Standing slowly, she said, "It sounds like you've been treated terribly. We, too, know what it's like to be taken advantage of and abused by those in power." She thought of Sebastian, rotting in jail, and the money they had to pay to guarantee his safety. She thought of her fellow soldiers, abandoned to their fates after bleeding and dying for their country. Gesturing to the train, she continued, "People like that, they only care about their purses. The deaths of a few dozen commonfolk won't make them raise an eyebrow. I can see that you don't want to hurt us, to hurt people like you. Nobody on this train is an oppressor. Please, let's sit together, and we can figure out a way forward that doesn't hurt innocent people." She sat on a cushioned seat, picking one near an unbroken window. She patted the seat beside her.
Okay, thanks. I'll wait until I see how my (very excellent) diplomacy attempt goes before trying to approach them.
”No, I can still make this work. Yes. We’ll just all sit quietly until we get to Sharn and then… then I’ll take care of my business,” he said after a moment, nodding to himself, clearly steeling his resolve with a decision, any decision, made. ”So you can all go the Dolurrh back where you came from! I warn you, do not try to stop me. You wouldn’t want these people’s blood on your hands, right?” Alua nodded, as if he was speaking complete sense. "Yes, that's a good plan. We don't want to stop you from your important business in Sharn. But," Alua said, as if it just occurred to her, "Sharn is still a few days away. These people won't be able to stay still that long. They'll need to eat, sleep, use the lavatory. Surely you'll be able to relax a little if you don't need to worry about them?" Gesturing to the passage behind her, Alua said, "Please, let them go where you don't have to worry about them doing anything stupid."
Alua took in the scene quickly. Two civvies who needed help, but she didn't dare rush to their sides. A clearly distraught man who could do great damage to not only them, but the entire train. Carefully laying down her mace, Alua spread her hands in a non-threatening way. "Hi," she said, keeping her voice low and gentle, as she might speak to a skittish horse. "My name is Alua. I see that you're in charge here." She glanced down at the bodies on the floor, then at the people huddled on their seats. "Lots of scared folk in here. How about if we let them move into another carriage, so that we can talk without being interrupted?"
As her friends got their legs under them, Alua sighed and said, "Yes, we should see what got the halflings so scared. If it's more of these living spells then we might be the best able to fight them." Taking the lead, the better to protect the others, she led them into danger.
Alua watched the halflings flee from the train. She had no intention of stopping them - after all, it looked like there might be another fight on their hands, and she could hardly make them fight with her. Turning to the defeated thieves, she said, "Do they have anything that would help? Baran, Lupi, can you use that wand?" Baran was looking fully healed, so the oracle allowed the link to drop. She cast a quick eye over the others - aside from Erix looking as wobbly as a newborn foal, nobody else looked injured. "Erix? You okay?" Satisfied that her team was well, she took a moment to heal herself.
Something was bothering Alua. She looked again at Phin. The elf seemed fine, and it took a few seconds to realize what she was seeing. "What happened to the Tower?! Did they get it?" After all, Phin was holding a plain spear, and the precious artifact was nowhere in sight.
Relieved to see that Baran and Erix seemed to be all right, Alua felt her sprits rise. They could win this fight, now that the living spell had been slain. Stepping over the prone form of the fallen halfling, Alua raised her morningstar and deliverd a vicious blow to the wand-holder.
(I'm back in cell service, so should be able to post again. However I'm doing it by phone and square brackets are hard to get to, so I'll ask our kind dm to do my roles. Also, life link would swap another 5 ho to Baran last round. ) Relieved, Alua saw Erix wake up unscathed... But he looked decidedly wobbly. She searched her mind for some way to help him, but she just didn't know how to. Then Baran fell. She groaned in pain as she absorbed some of his injuries... at least that meant he was still alive. Rushing past the man being skewered, she saw that Baran's eyes were open and unblinking. A spell? She turned to the wand bearer, raised her morningstar, and struck. (Acrobatics to avoid aoo and attack please)
Now that the civilians had roused themselves from their shock and were helping with the fire, Alua turned her attention back to the fight. It seemed that they'd joined forces with the halflings, and... Erix was down! Running towards the fray, Alua dropped to her knees besides Erix, but could find no injury upon him. Shaking his shoulders, she cried, "Erix! Wake up!" Seeing Baran surrounded by enemies, and bleeding, she closed her eyes and focused on his life energy. "Thee to me, me to thee," she whispered, creating a link between them.
Alua coughed as her mouth filled with smoke. The fire wasn't spreading, but it wasn't out yet. She continued her efforts, smothering the fire with her cushion, trying to ensure she didn't make it worse.
The other passenger was just standing around, so she cried out again, "You there! Help us! Grab a cushion, or use your heavy cloak. We can contain this but we have to do it now!"
So loud was the crackle of the flames and her breathing harsh in her throat, that Alua didn't notice her team's attempt at diplomacy or Baran's call for backup.
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