Túrion Alagostor's page

What I can't quite wrap my head around is why they would use this system.

I mean, the communication tool provided by Count Aral exists in-universe and they are certainly in a position powerful enough and with sufficient access to resources to acquire one of those.

The fact they did not, but instead stick to this archaic process with significant limitations and overhead, including risking additional interactions like shipping the secret pages to each other, possibly via diplomatic channels or dead-drops, must have some reason.

I mean, GM would not have had to re-develop the wheel here, a perfect tool for the communication already existed. But they stuck with this method. I feel if we understand why, that could help us find a vulnerability, but I'm not able to come up with a good reason.

You can hide things, and destroy messages on the other end, but the additional overhead kind of diminishes any security.
You could provide certain pages to others, distribute them, to form a multi-person group - (as in, I could write one message only to this guy, or use a second page that was shipped to someone else to let them know as well - maybe useful for instructions or as emergency thing.) You could also hand the written pages to someone else, if there was a point in doing so.
We also don't know certain interactions...what if, say, she stores them in a extra-dimensional space, or anti-magic field - after they were filled with content. Both methods could override the 'destruction' command from ripping out pages - there would be no "pointer" but the information may be left as fragmented magical data artefacts or something the moment she pulls them back into normal space.

Maybe I am overthinking and it's just that the text is hidden and encoded. But I can't help but be convinced that both of these people could keep a single book secure and hidden, by magics or otherwise, and only access it themselves.
Always bringing a page along for urgent messages seems...overkill for the type of grand tactical scheming going on. I will think about it a bit more, welcoming input or thoughts, then will try and do a gameplay post with some research and knowledge checks.

How about the following: We go in from the supply chain side of things - he has to acquire them somewhere, right, if they are only 25 messages each and there is likely to be correspondence or longer messages to clarify stuff.

I'd imagine each spicy bit of information they exchange will take at least 5 if not more of those messages just to transmit basic information with sufficient clarity.

So a somewhat steady supply would be needed. He probably has them either stockpiled and/or receives them in bulk.

I mean, we could of course try and "hack" into the book he is using, but it does seem easier to find the source and then do a man-in-the-middle attack.

That way we would give him a book, keep the page, have a book, give him the page.
He passes the page we give him on to his contact.
He writes in his book, we have the info on our page. We duplicate(forgery) the info in our book, his contact gets the page. They respond, he gets the answer, nobody is any wiser.
But even if he rips out his page, we still have our copy left, and if the whole process is sanctioned and observed by imperial authority, should be valid as evidence. Plus we may be able to very subtly alter messages to entrap them further.

Of course we'd still need access to the books in that scenario, but I think it would be easier to get into his stash, or intercept a delivery, than it would be to access the one he is using. Just a thought.

PS: I am aware there is still the "Cypher" to be had, but I also doubt that would be very secure if it remained the same all the time. And if it's altered I'd expect it to be part of the shipment, as in, each book comes with a pre-generated strong passwort (as there does not seem to be a process in the magic item that allows "setting" one up during first use) and the last message of the previous book basically is used to transmit the new one - that way you'd remain reasonably "safe" as even if your passwort is leaked, it would be set to a new one within a reasonably time frame. But I may be wrong on how that is handled, of course.

Ha-humm...

sorry to read about your troubles.
I had my own share, with a prolonged (and unexpected) stay in the hospital during january.
Then an unrelated death in the past month, and a ton of anxiety about having been missing from the boards.(and knowing I was on thin ice e.g. on this game, regarding unannounced absences).

So either way, I finally found the energy to go back to the boards. If still welcome, I'd try and get caught up in the next couple days.

"As far as the teleportation trap is concerned...I admit the specific approach he had choosen was something I would not have considered. But the difficult part, then, was to make sure it still operated normally after disabling the regular safety override.", Túrion adds in a low voice. "What I am saying is...Using that method, it should be rather manageable to...scramble the trap. If you don't need people to survive it. Not sure there is much in terms of adaptations to defend against that, but it does require an active intrusion into the weave at the exact time you attempt the spell...maybe just adding a rider effect that lets you know if anything was compromised might be doable - anything more...difficult."

1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 12 + 2 = 15

"As for Faedi...I know little of her. But if her choosen specialisation is any indicator, then your agents best know how to stay in the shadows - the issue with Beaumont will be resolved sooner, and it will no doubt spook her."

On the matter of Beaumont, he remains silent. They HAD gained some intel on the man, including the book, but Túrion was absolutely not going to trust that intel without further verification, or assume it was more than an elaborate setup.
If it was true, great. If not, he would not allow himself to be caught unaware.

Also, Nelly's magical size reduction will run out in a few hours. I will excuse myself and head to the woods, not join for the formal dinner. (I can officially simply travel on due to some urgent appointment only involving me).

You can pick me up tomorrow at some agreed-upon spot, but I'm not hiding a large wolf in my room and hope no servant comes by, nor leaving Nelly alone out there.

Túrion will be glad for a change of scenery and some green (plus it saves you guys from more broody posts) - but if there's more scanning or scrutinizing to be done, we'd best find some time before.

Can do, just didn't know if you wanted to lock in certain roles first or just wing it when we get there.

"Works for Hal, I'd reckon. Kaz, maybe. I believe I'd look a tad too young to have been at some council 20 years ago, and the same is true of you - if we attempt to pass as non-elves. Humans age incredibly fast. Rather than try to appear older, maybe we should be proteges or relatives of Hal.", Túrion suggests.

"Well, how about we move, and I can teleport us towards the woods I was hunting with Nelly in, before we arrived in this cesspit of a city. You can check me out more thoroughly there, before we move on to our destination.", Túrion suggests after preliminary checks are performed.

I am reasonably certain that I have not recovered any spells and did not have a restful night.

So I would very much prefer to take a day off, make sure we are REALLY clean, and come back the next day.

With 3 Level 5 spells, we could teleport, then move in some direction for 5 minutes, and teleport again, which should also throw off trace teleport.

Honestly, I am more worried about scrying of any sort.

As for how we approach Beaumont, Túrion is reluctant to weigh in on that, and I will reflect that.
He still wants him taken down, for his own reasons, and the fact that also furthers Isabellas agenda won't change that even if he would prefer things to be different.
But some things said when you retrieved him will stick with him for a while.
No need to play that out and he is not turning into the broody edgelord sitting in halfshadow in the tavern, but work is currently not kind to me, draining a lot of energy, so it just seems right for him to take some time to digest things, rather than jump back an as if nothing had happened.

Túrion throws the cloths and hat back at the Dockworker, not willing to take anything, and answering the watchful gaze with glares of his own.
He was compelled by his word, given under threat of murder, to do their bosses dirty work, but nothing compelled him to pretend to like that one bit.
Regarding sticking out, he will insist on invisibility, despite Harolds suggestion to not cast anything just yet. He will readily agree to be thoroughly checked out once they are in whatever is considered a safe spot.
Amusingly enough, I do have Teleport prepped and 3 charges ready to go - having expected to deliver the girl to Count Aral. So yeah, we can without much effort just jump far, far away - in theory. If Hal has reason to expect something would go wrong, he can take the lead on that.

"Thank you.", Túrion responds to Mel healing him, not saying anything else. While his equipment was placed on the table, he still suspects foul play, and remains seated.
Being bound that long, his joints ache, and his feet are numb - it's not like he could stand up and walk away right now.
So he remains seated, and broods, waiting for enough feeling to return to his body to not immediately fall over when trying to undo the plate mail.

Oh, Túrion will wholeheartedly support that, Hal. Just to make sure no tampering was done with him while he was out.
Same with the equipment. Make sure it's as clean as can reasonably be deduced, and then still assume she has some trick up her sleeve - but at least rule out all the "obvious" stuff.

I concur that it probably does not have to be played out, but there's two paranoid spellcasters around, so definitely no overruling from my side.

"Oh, If only those mortals would judge by actions and actions only, and not the worst possible interpretation they could come up with in the dark recesses of their own mind."

Aye, but IS it an idiom in use? "Buy-to-be-free"? It's like, I'm looking for the correct "native" term to use, not what translation would be more acceptable.
The money you pay during that is often referred to as "Ablöse" or "Ablösungszahlung/-summe", which is translated as "transfer fee" or "key money". But whats the process during which you pay that called in english? (A "transfer" seems right for the sports guy, but not for regular workers, or applicable to this situation. I did not want to "transfer" her to my own business - and besides thats the process itself, not the action on my part. Or is that exchangeable in this case?)

(Also, as for prostitution in europe, there is quite some variety, but most of the german-speaking areas including my country fall within "Legalization - Prostitution legal and regulated" - they have to be registered, pay taxes, get sick leave, all the works.
Thats not to say there's no unregistered ones coming in from other countries or even pimping, and it's not as respectable a job that you'd proudly tell your parents you started work at a brothel. But it's also not something that would turn heads or cause problems in your CV. So yeah, it's where I assumed there would be some way of work contract or so, especially in a public, seemingly legal, and high-end establishment. Exploitation was not on my radar. Well, not that kind.)

As to the attitude, yeah, no reason to revisit that. As mentioned, she could have put a stop at any time. The way she presented things made Túrion worried about her. And she seemed eager to get away, not even having any additional questions or doubts.
Appearances and all that be damned, assuming she was what she seemed and WAS pressured into that line of work by her mother or other family, I'd have no idea what would have been the socially acceptable way of freeing her from that situation.
It's easy to say in hindsight that she needed no rescuing and so Túrions interest could seem creepy (despite me trying to always keep things distanced and respectful). But if the girl had been in peril with no way to get out on her own? That is, if what she seemed to be had been true - it's not like there's some Child Services he could notify, nor did he want trouble for the Madame. I readily admit it was a grey area, but even in retrospect, I'd have no idea how I could have handled that in a better way.
That problem may lie entirely within my perception of the situation as a player, admittedly. But my SO was working with abused and mistreated kids and she seemed like one of the archetypes of that, so I wanted to get her out of there into a safe environment. The fact she so readily went along with the suggestion implied that she urgently wanted to get away and risked the unknown over the known. (she was ready to go that same evening, completely ignoring his suggestion to say farewell to any family she might have in town - so avoiding her own mother in favor of going with a stranger? that carried some heavy implications in my interpretation.)
*shrug*

PS: Yeah, with Isabella he felt that she was wrong, because he KNOWS he had no ulterior motives. Mel then cutting into him as well really took him down a notch, because he had to realize that for all the good intent he believed was driving his actions, the perception of even people he cared about(heck, he attempted to court her shortly before) was that he was deeply flawed and what he did was wrong, intent be damned.

And not to forget that in preserving the rest of the continent, that means more trouble for Avinoax, because the Concordat would no doubt focus their attention there if the other plans don't come to fruition. (Of course, in the long run, any other development would also not have been better, so it's not that he regrets helping)
Oh, and he will want his revenge. He will be bitter. But unless he dies a violent death, time is on his side. It may be in 20, 30, 40 years, but he will remember vividly.

On a different note:

what IS the correct english term for what I meant with "buying"?

That is, if my company wants to hire someone from the competition who received some expensive training and has a no-leave clause in his contract, we have to pay an additional fee to his former company.
Or with sports clubs, where the contract is for another season or two, you have to add extra expenses beyond the actual cost of the new contract to be paid to the original club.
Or when a contractor was pre-paid for a project and you work out a swap, where you have to pay extra to whoever contracted them so they can afford a replacement at a heightened rate.

In my native language, it would be right to "buy" the sports player, "buy" the contract, "buy" the worker from the other company.
The term is literally shopping for them.
(Much as a head-hunter in english is in most cases not technically only after the head or actually hunting in the classical sense.)

The fact that me wanting to buy her out from the madame seemed to be a big deal suggests to me that it does not parse.

So assuming there was some kind of work contract or bond, some agreement in place, and it was not the american "at will"-employment, what would be the correct term to use for paying that off to free her for new employment?
(Also for expedited access - around here it's 3 months notice, because the previous employer needs to fill the position, possible have a knowledge transfer or train a replacement, transfer all responsibilities and roles etc...if you want the person to transition on short notice, after 2 weeks or so, you'd have to pay a significant additional fee for the former company to waive their access(unless they already have someone lined up - in which case they will be happy to not pay the guy for 3 months during which he is considered a liability.))
(Incidentally, part of the trouble, as I expected she'd need a few days or a week to get ready, by which time I hoped we would have dealt with the Baron. It was unexpected that she seemed ready to depart instantly. Or I would have brought it up to the others beforehand.)

Figured if that was one root of trouble in this exchange, I might as well get something out of this so I don't put my foot in my mouth if I'm ever discussing this topic in the future with people in english.
(which is a very real possibility as I am working in an international team, and would not want to imply any forms of slavery or human trafficking...even if work at times feels that way).

(technically, the term would most often be "freikaufen", or "buy-to-be-free" but is often colloquially used as "einkaufen"/"shopping/purchasing" or only "kaufen"/"buy")

I would also like to bring to attention that I very much did set aside and mentioned/offered a significant payment as "wage" for the first half year, so even if my wording was off, it should have been clear that Túrion wanted to employ her, not "own" her as purchasing a slave would imply. Just mentioning that post-factum. (Not changing anything here, but the way I expressed things clearly did not match what I meant if it was perceived as an actual purchase-a-person to own attempt.)

"You as well, Mel? You judge me for actions and disregard my intent, then in the same breath tell me to put intent before actions? When I go out of my way to try and help someone, all that matters is that it might look a different way to an observer. But when you do something, all that matters is the reason and intent? I had not expected hypocrisy from you.", he strains against his bindings, but his voice remains cold and matter-of-factly, "I never forgot the big picture. It's why I was foolish enough to remain here in the first place, attempting to find common ground. It's why I even took the risk." His eyes harden:"All I did, since we met, was what was best for my own home, and what aligned with my own moral values. To see you call both my values and character into question now is...sad."
He looks over at Kazador, wanting to look somewhere, but not at either of the females present: "All the same, it is telling that you both judge me harshly where I saw no fault. A fool I may be, but not one that blind. Clearly, I am not compatible with what is out here, and my home is right with their course of isolation. I should never have left."
When he continues, he sounds exhausted: "Seeing how your judgement of me seems to diverge significantly from my self-perception, I would prefer if you do not presume or attempt to speak for me, Miss Elden."
With some strain, he lifts his head and looks at Isabella again:"You know I will hold a grudge. I feel wronged, but beside that, the handling was hardly graceful. You can not reasonably expect me to simply forget that. But I am well aware I am not getting out of here alive if you consider me a threat. I can't help but notice that the word you asked for would leave me free to act against you directly, as long as I ensure your organization is safe. I doubt that was an oversight. I also doubt it was a means to test my character, as you already made your judgement. Entrapment? I have no idea. At this point, I do not have the spirit left to argue. If those two things are your demands, I'd gladly finish things here so I can return home. If that is even an option."

I kept circling back to e.g. the gamble of the recapture because to Túrion, it's relevant she must have been fine with both outcomes at that point. That she decided to abort talking and accepted antagonizing someone cooperative. In his eyes, out of the blue.
So that she now seems to want to cooperate all of a sudden seems - unhinged in a threatening way. Feels like the cop that gave you a hard time during the traffic stop, confiscating your stuff under civil forfeiture and having your car impounded while talking about smelling drugs, then suddenly turning mister nice guy and offering you a ride home to the other end of town with a malicious grin and an inoperable passenger airbag.

The easier capture - oh, I acknowledge that - one reason I dwelt on it, to drive the point home to the others that she is not being civil to them because she's that type of person - if she had the means, they would all be in a similar situation as Túrion, so he does not want them to let their guard down or allow her to separate them or anything.

I also fully acknowledge Isabellas ambivalence. I don't quite get why she has such distain for him, but Túrion actually liked her and was willing to look past the first assault(thinking it was a misunderstanding). Her sudden but inevitable betrayal was what he had a problem with. Kind of reversed his outlook because he realized what image he had of her was completely wrong.
I had no time to check gameplay as I have to move to the office shortly, but I'll do my best to look on it favorably. I mean, obviously no 180° turn on his side, but I'll try and do my part on moving on.

That said, his treatment is NOT something he will easily forget, or forgive. Barring extraordinary circumstances or her showing willingness to self-sacrifice for values he holds dear(as he will no longer trust words from her, only actions), I concur there will be no reconciliation.

I am warning them not to trust her.
IC he has no idea what kind of deal she attempted to work out with them, exactly. Initially he assumed she offered to release him if they did some dirty work for her. Now it seems to be work against the Baron - which was not good enough when he spoke of it earlier(not knowing exactly what she was doing, but it was clearly not sufficient for what she demanded).

His main problem is that she attacked him out of the blue twice, and there are no guarantees of safety or anything for any of the party.
He mainly wants to get that across, so maybe Hal or someone equally paranoid sets up some dead mans switch that exposes her, in case she betrays us and murders us. That would be after the TPK, but at least she'd not get away with it freely.

That said, the reason I hate it, IC/OOC is mostly for 2 reasons:

1.: her attempt to recapture me. As I mentioned, it was either my own stupidity as player, or GM Fiat - if I had played that smart, she should have had no way to recapture me.
Meaning I would be the wildcard out there, and hostile to her as announced because she stole my stuff. I would have tried to locate the party and the chances of peaceful cooperation would have been close to nil at that point.
She can reason that she did not want to reveal sensible information all she wants, but I was there and willing to talk, to answer, to find some common ground.
Instead she attacks me again, and risks having the wildcard out in the wild, and hostile.
It's an intense risk to take, and as said, it should not have worked out for her. I am NOT saying you rail-roaded my back into custody, I accept that I made a tactical mistake trying to streamline things. But if I had done things proper I would have ported diagonally at about a 60° angle at maximum spell range, then calculated the origin point.
Instead I went with a low-altitude entry with readied feather fall. Stupid, in retrospect. But as said, no way she could have KNOWN how I'd get out, so the mere fact she took the chance of me getting away instead of progressing the talks at that point makes him heavily distrust her - because to her, to accept that risk, things must have been "done" at the moment she attempted the attack. Both outcomes must have been acceptable to her.
She also seemingly only learned he was an Elf after they undressed him, meaning initially she could not have known he was from Avinoax, which means he could not have been "useful" in that way, leaving mostly only the "kill" scenario in what she intended originally.

2.: How vastly different she handled things between him and the rest of the party. He is knocked out and abducted, interrogated with death threats and guards, they get invited in for a chat and some breakfast.
To him, she does not even reveal what they do when he is desperately trying to get information so that he could make an informed decision on wether he'd agree to help her, to them, she casually presents the information on a silver plate. This discrepancy makes the situation even weirder. Because as mentioned, she could have hat a friendly chat with him, as well. Aside from the vetting, her disguised adult self could have invited him to some safehouse for a talk - without exposing herself, her organisation, or else. She could have asked leading questions in her young form, or as said ask her associates about Janus.
(or notice the Alabaster business at the brothel herself - the Madame kept things low-key but she was THERE gathering intel-). The fact for him, specifically, she decides that abducting and incarceration is the right approach to pursue a potential alliance is deeply disturbing to him.(but, of course, that was not the intent. The intent was to interrogate and kill, for being some supposed agent or pervert - and if neither was the case, for OPSEC)

I did mention earlier that I had no idea how to resolve this. Basically she shattered whatever trust Túrion could have felt towards her, he is certain that his allies are in grave danger, simply based on how he was handled, and he's in a conflict because while their short-term goals might be aligned with the Baron, that would make him her pawn, and he definitely does not want to be her puppet after all this.

While I do get that she is a proud person, she seems convinced that she handled things perfectly right. She did not admit to any wrongdoing on her part in any way or form. She did not apologize or try to make amends. That is just fuel in the fire, because she feels justified in what she did, to her it's right. There is no self-reflection. He could have been innocent of what she accused him of and she would have murdered him for safety without batting an eyelash. And she does not even consider that maybe her intent was flawed.
Even now, presented with new information or perspectives, she insists that Túrion was somehow creepy towards her(not even considering the validity of his scenarion) - creepy enough to warrant being killed over, or that her attempt to recapture was sophistically calculated somehow instead of blind luck(as in, she does not even acknowledge there was a margin for it to go wrong).

It's not that I want to convince HER of anything, to Túrion it's important that the other party members understand where he's coming from, why he worded things that way or why he did things.
And to be extra cautious in their dealings with her and not just take her words at face value.

As mentioned before, he is not quite sure why he is even alive, still, so warning his allies to caution and potentially getting his legacy right is the most important things right now.

Also, last but possible most importantly: Isabella has made no step towards him. I am not even talking an apology(he is not in a position to demand one) or anything of the sorts. But to his knowledge, she made some deal with the others. He does not feel included, mostly because based on the previous treatment and the additional security features added after his recapture(despite the talks before "going so well"), he doesn't see her releasing him or returning his stuff to him. It's not something on the radar for him.
Because the way he interprets her actions, he would most certainly not go out of his way to capture someone again and bind them to make them angry and hateful, THEN set them free and give them their stuff.

So for him, there is no deal on the table. Not that he would trust her, but also for exactly that reason there will certainly be no suggestion to that end from him - the last time didn't go so well. So he simply has nothing to work with, here.
He believes any kind of deal does not include him, because it doesn't make sense to him, and that he'd possibly be kept alive and used to lure the others back into her lair, for what he assumes must be malevolent reasons.

So yeah, I am just winging it at this point.
And no, I am not actively trying to sabotage things.
But both when deciding to stay and when jumping out, Túrion was not paranoid ENOUGH and made mistakes that lead to this whole mess. So he's extra paranoid now, to make sure at least his allies are safe, if at all possible.
And right now, he feels like he is just a bargaining chip, and does not want to be used to the detriment of people he cares about by someone like her.

"So when I show up politely, not knowing who you are, I am captured, abducted and threatened with murder, when others show up, you have a casual chat? About the very things you refused to even mention to me when I tried to see how we could cooperate? Who is the psychopath here?"
Túrion does not believe for one moment that she did not have ulterior motives with his allies: "And as for your Mumblethunder, he could have vouched for me all the same, seeing how I helped him out with the guard. Not that you'd CARE for that, or even tried to do any vetting on me before incarcerating me."
He does seem frustrated:"There was no inclination for any peaceful approach in regards to me. No attempt, even. What, you flip a coin? Listen to yourself. With your decision process, there is no safety for anybody trusting you. What is your play there, they advance your agenda and you have them murdered to keep things secret?"

No worries, Hal. He won't make THAT mistake again. One way or the other. IF he somehow gets out of this, he will be proper paranoid about things henceforth and not err on the side of trying to work things out.
Also yes on the "sample". He did state that he considers courtesanship a respectable carrier choice. And after he left Avinoax armed with tons of book and theoretical knowledge, he wanted to experience everything the "outside" world had to offer in a practical way. So yeah, aside from exotic dishes, locations, activities, or people, of course he'd also try that. Between consenting adults, and then had decided that he prefers elves after all. He is not ashamed of that but it's not something he'd casually bring up over dinner.

"I paid good money for those tickets, and I was not about to let them go to waste. But yeah, if everywhere you look you see perverts, then obviously it's grooming to expose a child to some culture. Thats why the main talking point of that evening was the inherent political message of the play. Because of grooming. I had taken a liking to your alter ego, but not in the way you presume, and I told you as much earlier. And you always had the means to refuse anything I suggested or express any worries you had. The Madame took you aside to talk with you while I was away and gave you the chance to get out. I even ASKED you if there was anything to clear up or talk about. You did neither, so bringing them to attention post factum is only trying to shift blame.", Túrion responds coldly, "And your gamble was stupid. You can read magic. You took my spellbook. You know I could just as well have teleported away. Or altered the angle. It was foolishness on my side, but pure luck on yours that you got me again. If you had really wanted to find a solution or cooperate, you would not have risked that. Not when all you had to do is keep talking."

He nods towards his allies:"What, you are telling me you told them what you are really doing? Just like that? Without threatening them with murder or tying them up? Then why the special treatment for me? When I was here, under a truth spell, without equipment - which you held hostage -, barely conscious and willing to talk? But you could not even tell me who you are and instead risk me porting away and becoming hostile to you because you stole my belongings? Worse yet, you could not even tell me who you are or what you do after stating as reason for kidnapping me that I was supposedly some agent specifically after you or your organization? If that were true, then what ill would have come of telling me? And if it was not true, then I very clearly signalled my willingness to cooperate if only I knew what the f*ck you wanted."

He looks back at Hal, after forcibly laughing about his free will comment:"I have no idea what kind of deal she refers to that you agreed to with her, which I am supposed to stay out of. But you know that she won't risk telling you the truth unless she has you fully under her control and subdued. Think about that before you do what she demands. If she even is who you think she is. From all she told me before, she could just as well be with the Reaps."

Yeah. I can find reasoning not to try and flee immediately, as expressed above - his allies are here, he has no one else close by to turn to. The fact he will not stand idly by to watch his allies get slaughtered is implicit. If she does expect him to not cast anything while she attempts to kill his allies, she'll have to spell that out, otherwise he fully believes that is is not an aspect covered within what he is expected to agree to. That is, he will not cast something unless things go south, in which case he can't be reasonably expected to be held to an agreement anyway. Not that he expects her to keep her part.

Also, sorry for the wall of text. I could not make it briefer.

Túrion coughs a bit when the gag is untied, then spits some blood on the floor. After a few moments he catches his breath, then starts to talk:"Well, where to start. At the beginning, I assume. You know I worked out a deal with the Madame to gain some information from loose lips and pillow talk, assuming to learn some insights on what's going on with the upper echelon of society in this cursed city. Just going in, having a short chat with madame, then leaving again would no doubt be seen as suspicious - as you saw with Alabaster, some nobles had retainers with them that vigilantly remained in the common area. So I figured I need some sort of diversion. A reason to stay there."
He nods towards Isabella:"I had no interest in what trade they offer there. I tried that with human females in the past. It feels all wrong, no offense, but your proportions are all over the place. It's like you are some kind of uncanny valley mockery of what an elven girl is supposed to be like. So instead, I figured I'll have some girl read to me instead. Isabella here seemed out of place, so I randomly picked her. When the Madame told me she can't read, I figured it would be a more productive way to pass the time to tutor her, teach her some basics. Since I had no materials with me, I first tried to learn a bit about her, see if she was a threat - didn't want her to spread tales about me, after all. She looked younger, then, around 13 years old - which is quite young for a human. She also told me that her mum was some associate of the madame and arranged for her to work there. I considered that...troublesome. I have 2 daughters myself. I respect the profession of courtesans, but I would not push them towards it as such an early age. Also if you consider how much unwanted physical contact a bar wench at a normal tavern receives from customers - and what working hours it entails - it did not seem right."
He looks back to Mel:"You remember when I attempted to invite you on a date? Theater and Dinner? I had already paid the tickets and made the reservation. After you refused, on a whim, I decided to take the Isabella I knew, hoping to learn more about her. She seemed a smart enough young lass, and I felt that she was pushed into a certain path in life and not being given options to choose. So I decided that our first noble associate in this country would owe all of us some favors after our job was done, and intended to have her train as maid in his estate. Figured that would be a step up from eventually being expected to join the brothel business, and there was little else I would need from the man."
He looks over at Kaz and Hal before continuing:"So, I took part of my share of the gems we recovered, and contacted the Madame about paying what bond or debt kept Isabella there and take her in my employment. Expecting that we'd be done here within days, and I could drop her off at the estate."
He looks straight back to Isabella:"I have not once - not a single time - acted in any form, way or kind unseemly or untoward in your presense, or towards you. The fact you would immediately assume me to be some sexual deviant or pervert is telling a lot more about you than it is about me."
He returns his attention to his own allies:"So, I was on my way back to our base of operations, to explain things to you - when I was suddenly assailed and knocked out. I awoke, stripped and bound, with guards and Isabella in her true form. She explained to me that she assumed I was after her specifically for some reason, or a pervert that deserves killing."
He attempts to shrug, but finds the bindings and armor deny him the gesture:"I tried to explain that I didn't even have an idea who she was or why I would be after her. Regardless, being bound in a hostile environment with somebody talking about killing me was not exactly...desirable. I managed, with some intense investment of willpower(Hero Point spend) to slip out of my bounds via magic and turn invisible before they managed to react."
He closes his eyes a moment, his voice dropping a bit:"I should have left right then. Fled when I could. But I mistakenly believed it could be some misunderstanding. I figured if I could clear things up, I could retrieve my belongings and we could part ways peacefully. So foolishly, I stayed. I stayed and tried to talk, while remaining ready to escape via magic."
He returns his attention to Isabella:"She asked me some questions, which I answered truthfully, seeing little reason to attempt to lie if I was attempting to establish a basis of trust. She still insisted on some truth-telling magic, which I willingly submitted to. Under that same magic, she made it perfectly clear to me that even if I was innocent, she would kill me for "operational security" unless I was useful to her. While at the same time refusing to tell me what her syndicate was doing except pissing off nobles. I even attempted to explain that we were acting against local nobles, but that did little to change her attitude."
He stares directly into her eyes:"She made it perfectly clear that unless I would be a useful tool to her, she would murder me. And I made it perfectly clear that if she forces me to leave, I would consider her an enemy, and WOULD come back to retrieve what is mine. When I pressed her for information on what she would even expect, what it is she is doing, and why she'd think I would agree to such an arrangement, she attempted to attack me."
Túrion pauses, then looks back at Mel and the others:"She had no way of knowing how I'd escape - if I'd teleport out, just do a short-range hop, or anything else, or where to. So the moment she attacked, any kind of talk was concluded in my eyes. She decided on hostility. Worse, she swindled me with her false form, then attacked me - and I gave her the benefit of the doubt to attempt to clear things up, and she took advantage of that to try and subdue me again. I got fooled twice by her and know she is an unscrupulous murderer, so she is beyond redemption in my eyes."
Eyes looking at the ceiling, he continues:"There, I made my second mistake. I jumped straight upwards, hoping to better pinpoint the location to eventually return here...and expecting to arrive by surprise and be able to turn invisible again and flee. But she had hidden snipers on top of the building that instantly took me down when I arrived. I re-iterate my earlier point: She could not have known how I'd flee, or where to, so she already made her choice at this point. It was a snowballs chance in hell for her, but for my own foolishness, she managed to re-capture me."
He looks back at Isabella with hatred:"Since then, she served me more lies. Some stuff about her organization that she was unwilling to share when I was trying to find common grounds and cooperate, and only when I am bound and helpless. No doubt because she intends to kill me anyway, if there was any truth in that, at all. At the same time, she attempted to coax information about all you out of me, no doubt to better pull your strings or manipulate you, to which I told her to go die in a fire, essentially."
He spits on the floor in her direction:"If you suspect people of something, maybe try to learn a bit more before kidnapping and killing them? And if you really wanted to work together, then a vetting process that does not include violently knocking people out, binding them, and threatening them with murder, then signaling hostile intent all over again would be advisable."
He looks at Mel and the others again:"So I have no idea what lies she told you, but if you did not get assaulted, threatened with murder, and made helpless, then I'd expect her to flip any moment. She's good at going from casual chat to sudden attack. If you even can, I'd suggest you leave." He focuses his glance at Hal a moment, knowing he had means to evacuate the others if needed, "This woman is not to be trusted and after you did what she wants, she'll likely kill you to tie up loose ends. So whatever kind of deal she offered for my life, I'd advise you to not take it. I made my peace."
He looks back at Mel with a sad but determined expression:"When you visit your parents, do tell my girls of my fate. I was cut of their lives by their mothers, but I don't want them to wonder about me in a century or so."

Just for the record, I'm on it, just didn't have sufficient free time to get the post finished, but I believe I will today.

Túrion weighs his options. He most certainly could spell everything out. But that would hardly improve his position. And with everybody except Nelly and Fyrtor here, and his pouch and books in Isabellas possession, he had hardly any allies he could mobilize against her, and no means to save his allies by himself, even if he managed to flee.
This is madness. But fine. I will not use magic to attempt to escape. Now remove the damn gag.
He had few means to support them, without components, but he did have a trick or two left if hostilities took place, and having at least the option - albeit at significant difficulty - to intervene was preferrable.

Right now, signing only in common.

He is looking for words to warn you with in Sylvan, but spelling them out will not quite work.
So far, Túrion has no idea what you talked about or how long he was out again. Being blunt about it is more of a test as to how much Isabella told you.

And his realization that he is unlikely to be able to bluff, which causes him to instead turn to rebellious grandstanding.
Hence the OOC - I'm totally fine with "just talking, no funny stuff" as player, but IC he'd need some more convincing than "hey, we are here, she seems nice, lets talk." Because been there, done that, got burned. Twice. Being fooled a third time seems lethal and undesirable.

As I said, I am not trying to make things extra difficult, but I hope we can get there and I can explain IC, which I do assume(and hope) will explain his hesitation to cooperate.

Aye, all good. Just been very busy with visitors, a home project and work - and beyond my daily schedules, it would have been possible, but not easy, to find time to check in. If I had read your message earlier, I probably would have attempted to do so, but as said, I was feeling emotions that were not "sparking joy". On one hand it says a lot about what the game means to me that it can evoke those feelings, on the other hand I wanted to take a healthy step back to process things and come back closer to a resolution.

So thanks for asking, but mostly everything should be ok.

Túrions mind races. He frantically searches for human words that sound similar to sylvan words he wishes to transmit to Melia.
Linguistics: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (3) + 19 = 22
Difficult to sign, but IF he gets to speak, he'll emphasize the words. Right now just looking for some.

Túrion has a defeated expression in his face, but there is a glimmer of stubbornness in his eyes: Your host intends to kill me. Normally I would still agree for her word to let you go, but she cannot be trusted. Why would I not attempt to flee if given the chance? Only fools prefer honorable death over surviving as coward.

For the record, I never initiated ANY hostile action or fight. All I did was try to flee.
Also, just to be clear, I am NOT trying to make this extra difficult, but Túrion is a.: convinced that you are in grave danger and b.: that Isabella wants to kill him once she achieved whatever she is trying to do right now.
Still, he trusts Mel, and knows Kaz would not betray him after what happened in his home. Plus Nelly, of course. But he can't quite wrap his mind around how you could "walk in" here and talk casually, because his own experience was...very different. Just trying to explain where I see him coming from.

Túrion, barely conscious again, attempts to take in the situation, and quickly starts signing, shifting his gaze from his companions to Isabella and back: If you hurt them, I will return to haunt you. I took precautions, and my soul will not rest until the debt is settled. Let them go.

I would love to address Melias question in a more elaborate manner, but with finger-signing single letters while bound, I doubt I'll get to do any verbose statements. Considering how he ended here, he assumes the others have been captured by trickery or deceit -(as violence would be more obvious).
Also, his main worry most recently (as stated to GM) was the other party members safety so he's in a bit of a panic mode right now.

I had quite some things coming up IRL that more or less prevented me from doing much on the boards - I figured it was a good spot to take a step back anyway, only to come back and find you were trying to get me back in.

Also, GM has that right - if Túrion is hurt, restrained, and under guard, Nelly would not take that kindly.
Soothing words or not.

I am also not sure if she would accept being "left behind" like that, and if so, she would definitely keep her guard up, not enjoy the food...(as additionally, she is a walled place, not open nature. Plus it's not something she hunted, but likely already dead, stale meat no longer warm and bloody)
But for the sake of things moving forward, I'll simply roll with that and she can wait a while in the other room.

No need to make things even more complicated.

That is a pity. I can't help reading along and would prefer this situation resolved one way or the other sooner rather than later.

Because not being able to say something makes me genuinely angry.
Not IC, I'm feeling angry OOC.

I completely fail to understand her point in this, her approach to what she is doing now.
I DO to some extent understand that you are not attempting to escalate the situation.

But seeing this casual one-sided re-telling with tea and cookies genuinely evokes negative emotions in me and I'd prefer to get this episode over with.

Not trying to push you, you have a busy week - I hope it won't be too stressful - and thats totally a reason to take it easy, I just needed to vent.

*sigh*
this will be the epitome of "it's complicated" IF I get to tell my side of the story.
Fair warning - without details - that I honestly have no idea how to resolve this or salvage this situation.

I am definitely not one to complain, sitting in a glass house and all :)

Life happens. That's it.

On the plus side, a good portion of those unread messages will be Túrion and Túrion-specific spoilers, so you can skip right over a good part of those - welcome back and I hope things get better for you.

Ah, and so yes, you did. Must have slipped my mind, as there was plenty of other information in, before, and after that post.
Túrion had just returned from retrieving that stashed cloak, and was just about to ask Mel on a date, so yeah, there's been plenty of things on his mind.
Not sure if that's enough that I would make the connection, or if that qualifies for the relevant question, but there is something.
I'll let GM be the arbiter of that.

Turion the player is aware, but to my knowledge I always was investigating other aspects and we never aligned on this topic. I was operating under the assumption that Turion the character does not know. If I missed a knowledge transfer you can correct me but I was not being deceptive.
I will investigate as well and withhold my next post until we know if I missed something. Also, as you pointed out, I was staying with Fyrtor until he quit - so there was even more of a split for a while.
As far as I remember it was only ever mentioned when Túrion was not present(such as the last time, after he left towards the brothel for bath and the girl)

Thanks for the feedback.