[OOC: Story continued from The Tangled Web Forums]
[OOC: Let us assume that everyone is fully healed, and spells have been replenished. You can role-play last night’s events; I will move to the next day to push the story forward.]
The group decides to stay at the inn for the entire evening and night, fearing that venturing outside might lead to yet more undesirable misadventures. The innkeeper has nothing to offer for dinner other than a viscous, foul-smelling porridge. Still, in times of need, even the party’s two nobles are forced to compromise with what they are offered.
Ark decides to remain with Zaracas, choosing not to interact with the newcomer, despite having been healed by the gnome. The rest of the group has dinner in the main hall, where more time is spent chatting with the fellowship’s newly-acquired healer.
Ark and Zaracas
Upstairs, Ark and Zaracas, who seem to be developing some strange kind of respect for each other, continue their conversation. Zaracas reveals that he was a member of the Denizens, until he decided to leave the guild, dissatisfied with the control they exert upon their members.
“I promised you a story, archer. You seem unlike the rest of your companions, choosing to remain with me of your own volition. I trust that you are not friends with that bunch? Besides, your appearance and your conduct imply that you are not on law’s side.
Neither am I, although I fought for the officer at the temple. I reckon there’s no harm in revealing this-I used to be a member of the thieves’ guild. The denizens, as they call themselves. I started with theft, then moving to extortion and intimidation.
Somewhere along the line, people started to seek me out for… let’s say making certain problems disappear. It was alright in the beginning, good pay for just removing nobodies for other nobodies that saw the former as threats. Not much risk, really, and the cash was more than decent.
…As I was offered more and more of such jobs, the stakes were steadily increasing. My targets slowly became more and more important; first merchants, sometimes clergy and eventually minor noblemen. Not to mention their guards and escorts, who also had to “disappear” to avoid any witnesses. Mind you, there was no way of backing down. I was good at killing, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t expendable. So I followed their instructions, accepting one suicidal mission after another, without having a chance to bail out. My last target was a nobleman from house Thoranius. Stupid f!#*er thought he could get away with screwing the guild over…
I failed; the man escaped to Sailor’s Stone. I tried to leave the city as well, but the Denizens got hold of me. Needless to say, they don’t appreciate failure or being betrayed. I was lucky: the prize I had to pay was only an eye. Somehow, I think they still thought I was too good a killer to waste. I did a couple of jobs more for them, but after that incident, I had no stomach to remain in the guild. When that officer gave me the chance to change sides, I jumped on it lime a drowning man clings onto a piece of wood. Things seemed to be turning up, until that whole temple incident. And now, it seems, my fate rests in your hands and those of your companions.”
[OOC: Feel free to chat with him some more; if you ask certain questions I will rewind a bit and give you answers.]
12th of Frer-mánuðr, 2482
The Intoxicated Ice Monster, Lower Andelia
The ordeals suffered during the last few days have taken their toll on the party. Nevertheless, sleep does not come easily to most. As night falls, the noises from outside do not subside. Instead, more soldiers arrive at the district, both on horseback and on foot. The epicenter seems to be close by. The sounds of soldiers are gradually replaced by other noises. In the darkness, all members of the group listen attentively the unmistakable sounds of destruction. Among others, windows can be heard being broken; wooden planks smashed and walls being knocked down. Eventually, these noises give way to the crackling sounds of fire.
[OOC: Random PC=Elana.]
Unable to sleep and wishing to find out what is happening, Elana decides to take a look. She climbs up the stairs to the inn’s roof. Under the dark sky, she is not in any danger of being seen. What she sees verifies her suspicions: the Temple of Delrodin, just a few hundred yards away from the inn, lies in ruins. Next to it, a huge pyre has been constructed, containing all the wood that made up the temple. The fire is large enough to be seen in the entire district. Tired, Elana eventually returns to the room, where she sleeps until the morning.
Ark decides to share the room with Zaracas, convinced that he should keep an eye on the man. He makes sure to tie the man carefully, with some proper rope provided by the innkeeper, so that the thug does not stand any chance of escape. The criminal sleeps peacefully, despite his wound, and does not attempt to escape. When Ark wakes up, he sees Zaracas already awake, observing him from a distance. He does not say anything, giving the archer a creepy smile instead.
[OOC: Random PC=Jules]
Jules
As a new day dawns, Jules is the first to get up and make his way towards the main hall, in hopes of finding something better than last night’s dinner for breakfast. He is offered a slice of stale, dry bread and a bowl of watery soup by the innkeeper, who informs the lordling of recent developments:
“If you had any plans for venturing out today, I have bad news for you. The whole district is under military control. They are determined to leave no stone unturned. If you and your friends are those they are after, fear not: I can hide you in my cellar. There is a secret room they would never find. I don’t know how many days it will take before this whole thing gets sorted, but I can provide shelter for a reasonable fee.”
Jules considers the man’s offer over breakfast. He is eventually joined by the rest of the group, who are also offered the same breakfast as he was.
Ark
As the rest of the companions prepare, Ark decides to go to the roof, like Elana had done in the night. The assassin sees that many soldiers are walking in the streets of the city; navigating the alleys undetected would be next to impossible. The rooftops, however, remain unreachable to the military. Although treacherous and covered with snow, they offer a rare chance for escape from this place. As Ark ponders this, he realizes that his new companions might slow him down: the men might be able to follow him from roof to roof, but the assassin is not so sure about the women. Eventually, Ark decides it would be unwise to think this through on an empty stomach. He climbs the stairs down to the main hall, where he joins the rest of his companions.
Everyone
[OOC: You are free to discuss alternatives, plans of action, what to do with Zaracas etc.]
The discussion over breakfast is interrupted abruptly by loud knocks on the door. “Open up!” says someone from behind the door, in a commanding voice. “In the name of the Senate, open up!” Although unknown to Grunur, Ark and Eva, the authoritative voice sounds vaguely familiar to Jules and Elana; Caithas suspects that it belongs to none other than Langbard.
[OOC: Perception checks-Successes.]
