Yander hammers away at the front door with the hilt of his sword.
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"Agreed .... we cannot let this villain go free to harm more innocents." Yander communicates back over the link. "Come on Junebug" he says to his warhorse as he strides towards the front door of the building. (free action) As he approaches the door he increases in stature until he stands as tall as an ogre. (standard action) Size Alteration: (1 Tran mental focus) (As Enlarge Person: +2 size bonus to Strength, a -2 size penalty to Dexterity (to a minimum of 1), and a -1 penalty on attack rolls and AC due to its increased size. Net: +1 damage, -2 AC, Reach, 3d6 damage from greatsword) (move action) As he approaches the door he unlimbers his (now enormous) greatsword from his back and brings the pommel crashing down on the door with a thunderous boom. "Open up Villains!!! Now is the time for your reckoning and you have much to answer for!!!" he calls out in Taldan. Junebug follows behind.
"When we're ready, I think I can keep a straight face if we wander in there and look around like we don't know they're villains."
"That sounds like a much subtler plan, if less satisfying, than simply battering down the front door down and having at them."
"I could grow to giant size, walk up to the front door, knock loudly to attract attention while you slip in the back." Yander thinks back to the group. As always, his face scrunches up as he "thinks" his thoughts to the others over the mindlink.
"Hali, stay home today and watch for strangers. There are dangerous people about. Ok?" he waits for the girl's agreement. Then he gives her a few silver coins. "This is for your help." Then he looks to Calista "We should probably catch up with Roonfizzle. I don't want him to get in trouble if we aren't close by to help."
"Roonfizzle, see if you can get closer and find out how many are in that building. We'll see to getting the girl settled and then come to back you up."
"Perhaps we will finally get to grips with one of these villains..."
"Agreed." Yander thinks.
Yander and Junebug walk along, keeping watch for any obvious danger. His forehead scruches up some as he thinks over the mind link. "Be careful back there Roonfizzle. While it was predictable that they would set a tail on us, they also are bound to know that there are four of us. They'll be on the lookout and trying to figure out where you are."
"I think there's a good chance that we'll be followed as we cross town. If Roonfizzle can follow at a distance and figure out who is following us, then he might be able to track them and find them." Yander says. "It involves some danger to Roonfizzle, but he seems to be a stealthy fellow who is good at mixing with crowds."
"I'm thinking we should stick together today. It might be a good idea for all of us but Rooonfizzle to head out and then to have Roonfizzle trail along behind us discretely to see if we attract a tail."
"That's settled then." Yander says. "Now Hali, I think Junebug needs some more combing in the stable." To the others via the mindlink "Tending the horse will keep her occupied and out of everyone else's hair for a while."
Yander frowns and wrinkles his brow as he communicates with the unfamiliar mind speech. "I lean towards leaving her here, though I don't know if she'll cooperate. She seems a willful child."
Yander comes back into the room from the kitchen to where Calista is talking to Hali. He tosses the young girl a roll and gives her a wink.
Yander goes out to the stable and fetches Hali and brings her back to the dining room. "Stay here and talk to Lady Calista, Hali, and I'll fetch you some rolls to eat." Yander then goes to the kitchen to fetch some rolls.
"I think the girl is already in enough danger."
"Forgive the difference in culture, but I think it more polite to speak out loud where I am certain everyone can hear." "The girl approached me on the street and offered to act as an interpreter the day before I was contacted by the palace, and before I had heard anything of the problems the city is experiencing." "I would admit that it is possible that I had been identified by the palace as a possible asset at that time. A spy in the palace could have passed that information to the cult, who then could have sent the girl as a possible agent to intercept me." "I think it more likely however that the girl approaching me was a coincidence, but that she was seen with me and that now the cult is trying to use her as leverage." "Either way I think the evidence points to there being a spy within the royal palace who knew in advance that we were to be approached and offered a role in settling the city's problems."
After Lord Pandisar leaves: "Calista, perhaps you should speak with Hali to see if you can learn anything about who passed her the message she delivered to me." To everyone: "I think we have to assume that we were followed here. Even if we weren't, I can't say that I've seen many houses with flying men hovering over them, so we probably aren't hard to find." "I doubt that the cult will attack us here. Such folk are usually cowardly and attack from surprise on ground of their own choosing."
To himself: Flying men .... this is a land of strange wonders To Calista: "Don't push too hard on calling up the lady's spirit through magic means. Many people feel their dead relations should be left in peace"
Not being used to this phenomenon of mind-speech, Sir Yander looks like is both concentrating and staring off into the distance as he replies. "The child is a two-fold warning: first, that they know where we are and that this house isn't particularly safe and second, that they will continue to use threats against the innocent to prevent interference." "What would be very interesting to know would be if they decided to threaten the girl after I expressed concern for her in the Prince's palace. I think we have to assume that there are spies within his guards that passed on that information." Yander bows his head to the foreign lord as a sign of respect and says: "Lord Pandisar, we are strangers here and do not know your customs well, but in my lands it would be most distressing to a family to have to say goodbye to a loved one when the body was missing its head. Could you or one of your people return her head to the family? It will be cold comfort in the face of such loss, but it seems the very least that we can do."
While Roon does strange things with wire, knives, and tiny little bombs about the house, Yander takes Hali and Junebug into the stables. He pulls the saddle off Junebug and gives Hali a currycomb. "Please see to Junebug's mane and tail while I attend to business in the house. Do a good job and I'll reward you with a coin and dinner when I return." he tells the little girl. To Junebug he says "Watch her, danger about."
Then he enters the house to join the conversation with our visitor.
Yander straightens up from talking to Hali and crushes the note in his hand. "Gods be damned girl, this is just what I didn't want to happen. Come along and follow me." he says to the girl. He leads Hali and Junebug back to the house.
Really sorry to hear that.
Yander stops when he sees Hali approach. He shifts the back he carries with the poor merchant's blanket-wrapped, severed head to his left hand and holds it slightly behind him, shielding it from the young girl's view. He bends down so that he is closer in height to the girl. "Hali", he says sternly, "I told you before that this business is too dangerous for you to be mixed up in. Why aren't you at home?" Junebug stomps her left foreleg once, indicating that she also thinks the human foal should be safely in her home.
Yander leads the group back across the city to meet up with their appointment at the safehouse. Junebug clomps along beside the party, snorting at the strange, spicy smells of the city. "We should hurry if we don't want to keep our visitor waiting." Yander says to his fellows.
Yander makes sure the merchant's head is carefully wrapped in a blanket and placed into a sack for safe transport.
"Calista, can you do that mind vision thing on any of these items from the warehouse to see more about what happened here?"
Yander grimaces in disappointment at not finding any of the murderers present in the warehouse. His mood darkening as they proceed to the group's disappointment. Junebug follows along, disconcerted at her master's dark mood.
To everyone: "I think we've learned everything we can from the lady, we should move quickly to avenge the merchant's death"
"I say we see about starting to right these wrongs today." Yander thinks to the group.
Let the lady answer the question about the placement of the body and then we can go investigate the warehouse.
If you can find this warehouse, then I think we should pay it a visit to see if it is a center of worship for these cultists. I don't know if folks around here feel the same way, but where I'm from people would rather be buried with their bodies intact. If we can return this poor woman's head to her family so she can rest in peace, we should.
Yander doesn't think the girl seems like a threat, so he focuses his attention on the street outside.
Junebug looks up at the flying man hovering above the house, snorts, and goes back to keeping watch.
Yander steps up to the door behind the women. "Hope the place isn't full of cult assassins waiting to ambush us..." He looks about and gauges the trustworthiness of the stranger.
Yander thinks "Someone less threatening than the giant outlander dressed in a steel suit needs to calm the girl...."
Yander nods to Calista and steps up to knock on the door.
Over his shoulder to Raziya, Yander answers: "She's smart enough to watch for trouble and alert us if it appears." "Do not the knights of your land ride similar mounts?"
At the gnome's warning about movement in the shop, Yander steps in front of Calista and Raziya and reaches over his right shoulder to put a hand on the hilt of the massive sword that hangs there. "Junebug ... Guard" he says in a low voice to the warhorse.
At that, the massive horse's ears prick up, she plants her hooves in the street, and raises her head to look around for danger.
"Then let us all go together." Yander says. He whistles for Junebug.
And she comes trotting around from the stable.
"I agree that we should investigate the death of the merchant to see if it is related. It might give us more insight into the inscrutable motives of this cult." Yander replies to Calista. "Junebug and I would be most pleased to escort you to the victim's place of business."
Yander watches some of the by-play between Raziya and Calista with some interest. "Nobodies challenged anyone to a duel or sworn revenge yet, so maybe this is just how these foreigners say hello to one another ..." he thinks to himself. He makes a rapid clicking noise with his mouth to get Junebug's attention and motions her around the side of the house so they can both check out the stables. "C'mon girl." he says to the massive horse.
He passes by Roonfizzle on the way and sees the deep look of concentration on the gnome's face as he studies the house. He glances back to the house and thinks "He must be seeing things that I'm not, it looks like a house to me..." "Mind Master Garnackle Junebug" he cautions the warhorse "Wouldn't want to step on him..." The horse gives him a withering gaze in response.
On the way to the safehouse with Junebug trailing a few steps behind the group, Yander answers the sylph. "Why yes Sir Breeze. Junebug and I have traveled together for quite some time. I raised her from a foal." "She is trained to fight by my side and protect those under my charge." "We've had a few close calls. Most recently in Qadira when a dragon attempted to abduct the girl we were sworn to protect."
Yander follows Raziya.
"M'Lord, I believe we have enough information to begin. I'm certain the knowledgeable gentlemen you have promised us introductions to will be able to start providing the information that Lady Callista wishes to gather." Yander says. "Perhaps this rumormonger, Lord Mahindra, can aid us in the direction of inquiry that we were discussing earlier, seeing as Mister Garnackle is without contacts." he continues.
"My new friends, I have to honor to be Sir Yander Royce, Knight of Taldor. I am very pleased to make all of your acquaintances." Yander says to the assembled strangers. "Master Garnackle, I would think that someone in your line of work would have a reputation that might aid us in contacting members of the local criminal underworld if we wanted to follow the lady's suggestion." Yander says to the little gnome. Current Campaign
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