Do so while I'm going to see the guard . Where can we find you two?
At the discussion of spoils, Thrakhir looks at Quick. "Do what you want with the bit we got off the dead bodies. I've no need of it. I'm likin' the plan of meetin' after you go talk to the guards. We can then be meetin' back at Father Beamus'."
"That seems like a safe space to meet. We'll see you then."
Brock is silent through all the planning his skin a tint of grey from injury and fatigue he has a look of confusion on his face as they walk back to Quicks before he blurts out
"What now? I mean after we tell the guards and show the records, we let them put another person in charge to do the same thing? What are we to do tomorrow?"
Father Beamus is pleasantly surprised to see his new guests, and there are some heartwarming reunion scenes. He bustles to get mattresses and blankets all over the temple, and you leave him to it for now.
It's still the middle of the night. Do you want to go report now or do you want to wait until morning? And more interesting, what are you going to tell the guards (Juliare, Brock and Quick) and your employers (Kirwen and Thrakhir)?
I definitely want to report now before a old lady come to worship at the temple at dawn ....
What I'll say is :
While investigating tales of disappearance in the slums , we met with Baglady named Betsy down at the docks who did tell us she had seen persons of the temple of Kanto enslaving and selling people to a ship.
earlier , Quick did go to the temple as a source of information, since Kanto did take beggars off the street but what she had seen there seemed more like a jail than a redemption center .
We were then attacked by thugs we soundly defeated . But their boss did succeed in fleeing and the others thugs only knew they had been hired to scare us off the temple
We naturally headed there but once there the situation rapidly degenerated and soon there was a fight to the death . We tried when possible to make prisoners and have some bandaged prisoners at the temple to attest this . Some guards did flee . While continuing our explorations we found the beggars emprisoned and have freed them ( the guard can find them at Father Beamus' place if they need corroboration
We also did find material proof in accounts penned by Kanto herself (which I'll then give to the officer) .
It seem she was in relation with someone named Drincilla
Downstairs , there is also a secret shrine guarded by a construct.
After the fight, two people came into the temple and did volunteer to help us explore. They did not want to reveal who sent them or why but did indeed help us
I also give the name of everone, still present or not, who did participate in the attack .
If possible , I'll try to see the captain of the guard before telling all this .
After some ruckus, some of the night guards send for Bragger Bondhome, the dwarven captain of the guard, who arrives looking rather grim. As you sit down in private and explain the situation to him, his scowl deepens. After some questions to take in fully what happened, he dispatches a force to cordon off the Moon temple until further notice.
After listening carefully to you and pondering the evidence, he sees no reason to arrest you. As he figures you would hardly turn yourselves in after murdering the high priestess of the moon when you could have gotten away with it. Also your story makes sense of the disappearances lately.
He says that he'll be in touch and asks you not to leave town for now. Specifically he needs to know where to find you. Looking even more grim he asks you not to speak to anyone about this until he gets back to you. With that, you are dismissed.
Before retiring to sleep, Quick will sit down with Juliare and Brock. "Boys. Today was a tough day, but it was the right thing to do. We sent a lot of people to their deaths, but we have to realize that they were not innocent deaths. If no one else had stopped Kanto, who knows how long her slaving business would continue. Let's not think of the grim details, but who knows where she could have been sending them. For all we know, they were destined for the gut of some stinkin' beast. I feel stronger for this whole affair, y'know? Like, now we've seen the elephant. Despite the close call, I've got a taste for more action. Do ya wanna have a go at those bandits sometime soon? Brock the Rock, you must have some fight left in ya!"
Kirwen and Thrakhir will return to the boss and deliver our report, as thoroughly as we can manage to do so with the information we've been able to put together. We'll also mention the adventurers who seem to have gotten themselves mixed up in all this, in case it turns out to be information of significance...
Kirwen and Thrakhir:
"You have served me well", he says, "and I'd not hesitate to stick my neck out for you, but you've made a lot of enemies, and if Midas is involved, I for sure won't be able to protect you. I'd advise you to leave town for a while until things cool down a bit."
Going over to his desk he opens a secret drawer and takes out a small pouch of money. "This I can do for you", he says, tossing the money to you. "There is 100 gp for you each in that bag. Consider it a loan, for I will be wanting it back. But if these adventurers you speak of could and would take out Kanto, then maybe they are a force to be reckoned with. Keep close tabs on them and report back to me, and you can pay me back whenever it is convenient."
"It is not wise to renege on your loans, though, and I'll be wanting reports whenever you are in town. And I will know if you are. Other than that, I wish you the best of luck. You're going to need it." And in an aside to Thrakhir: "Sorry about the beard, man."
Better late then never.
Kirwen and BT
Thrakhir is quiet till the two get about half way to the Quinchinos, obviously in deep thought. He slips out of his thoughtfulness and speaks to Kerwin. "I got two thing I gotta tell ya, friend. First, we aren't totally out of leads as to where to go next. Are ya rememberin' that red symbol on the chest of that beast that spit fire? Well, I seem to recall that symbol is associated with Midas, a local crime lord. It might be that we can find more information if we follow that lead.
"Second, ya remember when I went and was searchin' Kanto's room." He waits for Kerwin to answer affirmatively and pulls him aside. Resting his pack on the ground he pulls out a small wooden box. "Just so ya know I can be trusted. I found these." He opens the wooden box and reveals four black pearls. Pulling one out, he takes a close look at the pearl. "They appear to be worth about..."
Black Tom,
I'm not worried about the beard and, honestly, I wouldn't mind taking a permanent negative to charisma with a cool looking scar, as it fits with the character since he is not really a people person anyway. I would like a bonus to another skill, be it magical or not, in return if we could negotiate something. ::wink, wink::
I indeed did give Brondhome the address of Father Beamus
I doubt we'll be able to deal with the bandits soon since we won't be able to leave town for a while .
I plan tomorrow once the captain has checked our story a little more to
make a proposition to him
Since we are already involved , if he can direct us to someone who'll tell us how to bypass the toughness of this creature and how to be more resistant to fire , we should be able to deal with it .
While I'll be with this person and Brondholme , I'll also speak to him of the sewer creature. The tracks are still recent and if we can have indications on how to fight them , we'll be able to do so whille being in town
Thrakhir and BT:
Kirwen looks at the pearls with a slowly growing smile. "Looks like I was wrong back there," he says, picking one up and almost seeming to caress it. "Not entirely with nothing to show for it..." He grins down at the dwarf. "Nice work, my friend."
Kirwen takes the bag, but doesn't move to leave just yet. "If you don't mind me asking, would it be worth, say, what's in this bag here to you if we were able to do something about those Greentree skags I've been hearing about? Maybe we can turn the budybodies to some decent use."
Thrakhir:
You can rest at Beamus's temple as long as you like. Then do you want to go after the sewer creature or the bandits, or do something else entirely. If the former was indeed a wererat (and plenty of people could tell you that it probably was), you could easily get silver weapons.
In fact Bondhome would be grateful to have the sewers cleared of monsters. It might even help clear you from the charges of murdering the high priestess. On the other hand, nothing prevents you from leaving town and going bandit or treasure hunting.
He smiles after Juliare speaks of the meeting with the Guard Dwarf and seems very relieved,
"It was an honor to fight besides both of ya!"
Brock chuckles hard and slaps Quick on her back like he did in the bar awhile ago the sign of friendship in his action is evident.
"It was an honor to fight besides both of ya!"
Brock looks to Juliare
"I say we get the little rat man in the sewer.... but first lets finish of those bandits, I think they need a good beating!
Brock is cheery the rest of the night and if Ale is to be had he drinks his fill with a mighty luster, and then spreads out and sleeps mumbling the words Brock and Rock in his sleep.
In the late morning you are all summoned to an audience with the governor, Ranlan Pool. This is a bit extraordinary, but so is killing the high priestess of the moon. There are no guards sent after you, so you could easily evade the appointment.
Do you show up?
Quick is uneasy about the whole idea, but is bolstered by the fact that there are no guards accompanying the summons, and empowered by the right and true knowledge that what they did was for the best. Either way, she'll want to come to a consensus with the others.
"Don't get spooked, y'all. It's right worryin' I agree, but we ain't done nothin' to warrant a trip to the calaboose. I think that if we do decide to go, we should copper a bet and play it safe." Quick spits, clearing her mouth of some chew. "Whaddya think?"
It's a note, and Thrakhir and Kirwen are mentioned by name, as are the rest of you.
Juliare is all for going there !
There is no cause for worry . we did the right thing , Bondholme must have put a word in our favor and this could be the start of a good cooperation with the law here
Being assermented officers would help us in our next jobs and there might even be a reward .
While waiting for the others to join us , can you look at the things we got , Quick ?
Magic quarterstaff of Kanto
Magic chain shirt of Kanto (Juliare)
Masterwork bastard sword
Magic potion of the fighter
masterwork heavy mace * 2
4 scrolls of the underpriests .
2 potions in underpriests rooms
I don't think any of us took the money . Am I wrong ?
BT and Thrakhir:
"I'm not likin' it." Thrakhir says with a snort."But, if yer thinkin' it's safe, Kirwen, then I'll attend. On the other hand, I think Quick is right and it might be best to be keepin' some folks handy in case there's any trouble. If we're decidin' that's the plan, we'll be needin' a cover story to explain those absent. I'm willin' to go aid Father Beamus and we can say others stayed to help with the refugees."
Thrakhir:
Kirwen
"I can stay behind if ya like Quick!?"
Guys , we don't want to offend the governor ! We were all invited
"Naw, you got me all wrong Brock. I'm just sayin' we should keep our wits about us, is all. Our senses sharp, y'know? Like your axe. And Juliare's wit."
The scrolls are of Cure Light Wounds (x2) and Command (x2).
Thrakhir looks over at Kirwen, "What are ya thinkin'?"
Kirwen shrugs. "Stay back if ya like," he says. "Think there's some sense in it, though I think we're as like to get in trouble that way as any other, too. I plan to go, though."
He greets you all cordially and addresses you each by name, congratulating you to your exploits and to ridding the city of a slaving ring. He also introduces you to his bodyguard Kilgore Spink, a seasoned old warrior in chainmail carrying a bastard sword, who greets you curtly and goes to sit down on a chair next to the door.
"I want you to be clear that Warwik does not endorse slavery, and we are more than happy to see Kanto eliminated. Still, your actions have put us in somewhat of a quandary", he continues, with a preoccupied air. "We seem to have had a string of singularly bad choices for high priests of the Moon. The last high priest, as you have had the opportunity to notice from the décor, was a bit obsessed with death. Now death is naturally an important aspect of the Moon, but there are certain others that are of import, too, like magic."
"You are of course aware that Warwik's academy of magic is of great renown, and thus the temple of the Moon is an important part of our religion. Now we must make haste to recruit a new high priest."
He smiles absent-mindedly but benignly. "Of course, none of this need concern you, but there is also the political aspect of it. You would know that relations between Viridistan and the City State have deteriorated lately. Normally we, being an independent city, would not worry about such things, but there is a faction in Viridistan, called the inquisitors that are, shall we say, rather hostile to magic, and that is indeed cause for concern."
He is interrupted by a knock on the door. The butler enters with a tea-wagon, and Spink sniffs suspiciously at it but then lets it pass. The governor busies himself with offering you all tea and dry Skandik biscuits (rather flavorless but the governor seems to like them).
As you’ve had your tea and settled back into your chairs the governor goes on: “This concerns you too, for the city council have decided that we find it expedient to proclaim that the priestess of the Moon has been assassinated by Viridian zealots.” Holding his hand up, he smoothly continues: “Now, now, I know that you are nothing of the sort, but we really can’t afford the prestige loss of admitting that our high priestess of the Moon was a common crook and slaver. Of course, divinations being what they are, we don’t really expect to keep this a secret, but we do intend to leave Kanto’s erm... extracurricular activities out of the official version.”
“Viridistan will of course be furious, but there isn’t really much they can do at the moment, and it will definitely be useful from a diplomatic standpoint. The Viridians aren’t exactly popular in these parts. That only leaves a couple of small loose ends, that is you and the people you so valiantly liberated. The former slaves are easy enough to take care of. They were mostly beggars anyway, so we’ll simply keep Kanto’s promise and ship them off to a better life somewhere else. We’ll speak to Beamus and I’m sure he’ll see the wisdom of our position.”
”The only remaining problem is you. Of course we could easily have you arrested and executed for murder, but we’d really not want to do that. I understand that you did what you thought was right, and we’d have angry paladins all over us if we executed their heroes. So I prefer to ask you just to leave town silently and not to speak to anyone about this. Eventually the fuss will die down and our version will prevail. That is, unless someone would intentionally upset the precarious political scales.”
The governor looks searchingly at you as he stirs his tea. “You have 24 hours to leave Warwik”, he says pleasantly. “After that I can no longer guarantee your safety. The same of course applies if you’d spread any scurrilous rumors, which could even get you arrested. More tea, anyone?”
"Okay Quick I'll go..."
Brock will take a tea cub but never so much as sips the thing. Its not because Brock wouldnt love to take a sip, he would, but if Brock were to take his focus of his building rage, he would snap and not be able to control himself. Brocks face is stone but his eyes are on fire with hate, but he tries for the sake of his friends lives and his to control himself. This leaves Brock Stone Quiet like a Rock, till they leave the room and he is far from anyone who could arrest him in which case he will then FREAK OUT!
Juliare is obviously a bit impressed by the surroundings.
The only thing that seem familiar to him in all this is how to drink tea !
He waits patiently for the governor to finish his speech and then replies
'Your excellency , I most admit a little surprise there . I would have thought you would have preferred to keep us under observation .
you know the proverb : Keep your friends closer and your enemies closer ! May I offer an alternative ? We are planning to go and see if we can make a term to the green tree bandits .
Endorse us with us . This would keep us out of town but also prevent us from travelling to some distant place . Furthermore , we would be indebted to you for your help and more motivated to keep silent.
As for the beggars, there is no need to trouble yourself. There might be rumors but they can be safely discounted . Organizing trips for them could only cause more talk after all . And Father Beamus would certainly be grateful for a small gift to help him in his mission...
'.
With this , he will indeed move his cup toward the mayor .
There are no more guards visible in the room, but you did pass a few on your way in. The place is not conspicuously well guarded, though. It seems the governor relies on other forms of protection.
"Now hold on a minute there, Juliare. I'm not so sure I want to be indebted to this man, or anyone else for that matter. First of all, bully for you for such a boss mansion. You must've worked real hard to afford it. You're flush because you're smart. And I thought I was too. But...if I didn't know better, I'd say you were threatening us. What's all that about trying to intimidate us into leavin' town? So people don't see the real picture? That you're gonna use this as some kinda political manoeuvre ta start a war with someone I ain't never heard of? And you're gonna ship these desperate folk off somewhere anyway? That sounds like Kanto's plan from the start."
Quick spits, not caring that her chewing tobacco will probably stain whatever it lands on.
"It sure makes a girl wonder a little less how ya can afford such a place as this. You don't give a sh*t about those people, so long as you save your political hide. Stuff you, and stuff your horsesh*t religion. I can't believe you'd be willing to stand behind Kanto after this debacle, much less blame it on innocents."
Juliare is obviously a bit impressed by the surroundings.
The only thing that seem familiar to him in all this is how to drink tea !
He waits patiently for the governor to finish his speech and then replies
'Your excellency , I most admit a little surprise there . I would have thought you would have preferred to keep us under observation .
you know the proverb : Keep your friends closer and your enemies closer ! May I offer an alternative ? We are planning to go and see if we can make a term to the green tree bandits .
Endorse us with us . This would keep us out of town but also prevent us from travelling to some distant place . Furthermore , we would be indebted to you for your help and more motivated to keep silent.
As for the beggars, there is no need to trouble yourself. There might be rumors but they can be safely discounted . Organizing trips for them could only cause more talk after all . And Father Beamus would certainly be grateful for a small gift to help him in his mission...
'.
With this , he will indeed move his cup toward the mayor.
"Oh dear, I wouldn't dream of considering you my enemies. On the contrary, you have just done the city a favor, and at great peril to yourselves. We do appreciate your efforts. And were you to crown your achievements by eliminating the Green Tree bandits, none would be happier than myself. Naturally you would be entitled to the bounty."
"It's just that followers of the Moon tend sometimes to be a bit... unstable, and your presence could be a little... inflammatory right now. So until we have found and inaugurated a new high priest, you'd do well to keep away. You're not banished or anything." (chuckle) "The very thought of it... no, we just value our peace. My, these biscuits are excellent, don't you think? I have them specially imported. I know this bakerwoman... nevermind. I'm so glad we could have this little talk."
Kirwen watches the exchange silently. The politics is beyond him, though he appreciates the man's desire for extravagance. He does pick out that he's likely to be leaving town soon, but that was basically the plan already, so he's willing to take that in stride.
"Now hold on a minute there, Juliare. I'm not so sure I want to be indebted to this man, or anyone else for that matter. First of all, bully for you for such a boss mansion. You must've worked real hard to afford it. You're flush because you're smart. And I thought I was too. But...if I didn't know better, I'd say you were threatening us. What's all that about trying to intimidate us into leavin' town? So people don't see the real picture? That you're gonna use this as some kinda political manoeuvre ta start a war with someone I ain't never heard of? And you're gonna ship these desperate folk off somewhere anyway? That sounds like Kanto's plan from the start."
Quick spits, not caring that her chewing tobacco will probably stain whatever it lands on.
"It sure makes a girl wonder a little less how ya can afford such a place as this. You don't give a sh*t about those people, so long as you save your political hide. Stuff you, and stuff your horsesh*t religion. I can't believe you'd be willing to stand behind Kanto after this debacle, much less blame it on innocents."
Spink makes an almost imperceptible move as Quick speaks, but the governor is unperturbed. "My dear girl", he answers without looking up. "I understand how this must look to you and your vigilante brand of justice, but allow me to say that I am not in the least threatening you. In fact I'm trying to protect you. If a certain smiling gentleman is involved, you'd do well to put as much distance between yourselves and Warwik as possible."
"As to the beggars, the city is crowded enough as it is and it would actually be preferable for them to take the money and leave, but we aren't forcing anyone. They get the same deal as yourselves. The only reason that we haven't offered you a reward is that we understand that you have already bagged Kanto's loot - which you may keep, by the way. We have recovered most of what she's stolen from the city."
Brock looks to Quick as she leaves and then to Juliare, almost asking what should I do, do I go with little one or wait and stay with you?
If Juliare gives him the nod he will go with the little one, if the little one does anything to make him think she needs alone time he will stay with Juliare. He would perfer to go with the little one after her little display as to protect her from her self at the moment.
Brock takes a sip of the tea, his rage subsided, confused by whats going on and not sure what to do. it no longer feels right to be mad so he lets it fade.
If Kirwen trusts it is safe, then Thrakhir will accompany the group. "On the contrary, we left the temple with rather few spoils and certainly found nothing of a sum that would imply we were recoverin' any ill-gotten riches. Not to mention, I'm bettin' us bein' silent is of some value to you, sir. I could be usin' a fine hair piece." Thrakhir gently taps the silver spoon against his cup, appraising its value as he does.
Quick's intention is to stop by the garrison or guardhouse on the way, and fill Bondhome in on the new details, including fully spilling the beans about what the Governor intends to do. She trusts his Dwarven qualities, and his position within law and order, to know and 'do the right thing'. She reveals her current fear of threats against her and her friends, not to mention the fear that the homeless are once again going to be carted off to who knows where. She explains all of this as quickly as she can, because she worries that the Governor could move against the poor at any moment.
"I'm headed down to the Temple of Asclepius now. I'm gonna make a stand there, alone if I have ta. We fought and bled to protect these people from one tyrant, so I ain't gonna sit by and watch another one swoop in and cart 'em off."
Unless Bondhome has more to add (assuming he's even to be found), she'll head to see Beamus as quickly as possible and fill him in likewise.
Brock being with Quick I assume, will step in before she get a chance to talk to the dwarf. When Brock discovers where there headed he steps in front of quick and gently puts his hands on her shoulders, "Quick before we go and talk to the dwarf or whatever you intend to talk with him remember we all did this not just you and what you do affects both you and all of us. now dont you think we should wait till the others catch up before you talk to the dwarf, or how about we go the priest man first? I just dont think, well Quick I dont know what I think but I dont think this is the right thing to do either."
As the group begins to break up, Kirwen nods in support of Thrakhir's argument. "Seems we've done you a favor, and we're getting nothing but an invite to not let the door hit us on the way out. You've got some way of showing your gratitude," he rumbles.
"Brock, didn't ya hear what that slime said? With a smirk, even. We have to get out of town before 24 hours is up. Without telling anyone that he's lying about Kanto, or that he's going to blame the murder on innocent people, or that he's going to ship the beggars off anyway! You know why? 'cause he's scared. Scared that we know the truth. He's trying to push us off. Saying that our safety is in danger if we tell anyone. That's the definition of a bully, as far as I can tell. And I'm not going to stand for it, big guy. I reckon we better tell Bondhome in case anything does happen. If we strike out against the Governor or any of his cronies, we're going to look bad. Real bad. Even if it's in self-defense, unless we make it clear to the law from the get-go that we're being threatened by the man. Remember when Kanto sent those thugs at us in the warehouse, to try and keep us quiet? Well I've got a funny feeling we're gonna see more bullying. I hope you understand, Brock."
Quick takes a moment to let the big man process everything she's saying.
"The Governor's not being straight-up. He's playing dirty. That's exactly why we have to do the opposite. He doesn't want us to tell anyone about his dirty plan, which is exactly why we have to! If he eliminates us, we'll just be written off as bandits, or worse, instead of the heroes we really are! You saved the lives of those slaves, champ. Now someone else wants to take away the freedom of those people again. If we let him walk all over them again, everything we fought for will be undone. I hope you know that's why I have ta talk to the dwarf!"
Brock thinks hard for a moment and then looks right into Quicks eyes,
"You sure about this, this could get us dead, can I trust ya? I mean really Trust ya little one?"
"You don't have ta be a part of it Brock. You can wait outside, even. I'll go in and explain everything to Bondhome. I'll take full responsibility myself, even, and say that the rest of you are A-OK with the Governor's plan. A'course, if ya see me being hauled away to the jail, feel free to help me out." Quick says, with a wink. "It's something I gotta do, and I'm resolved to do it alone if need be. But I gotta hurry! They could be cartin' away those beggars as we speak."
To Quicks response Brock smiles. Its the excited smile, much like that of a young child the night before the Winter Celebrations.
" Well Quick I never could stand the fancy folk, Just because you have money and power didn’t mean you should look down on the others around you, and I thinks thats whats going on here."
Brock smile shortens a bit his eyes on memories past,
"We haven't talked much about or past, but my father was much like that man back there, and as a boy I always loved seeing the other boys fancy faces as they challenged me to gentlemen duels be cause I was oddly big and not quick with a pen, but they always backed out when I brought my Great Axe.
In fact the only wealthy person I had ever come to like was another like me, Sandros Highmount. I wonder what Sandros would say..."
Brock stops and breaths out,
"Well little one you have my Axe by your side, I might not always be the sharpest but my Axe is!!!