"I don't know, and that worries me" Tessirda replied, torn between leaving the prisoner behind, leaving him with Zindit (which she wasn't sure was a good idea at all), or standing on the sidelines.
"You run ahead, Zindit, and see if they need any help. I'll follow along as quickly as possible"
Having given the 'beggar' more than enough opportunities to surrender, Amunyet decides his fate has been sealed. "May Pharasma judge you leniently in the next life, scum!" she says as lands a powerful blow.
Zindit nodded her head up and down, "Yesyes! I'll go!" Eager to obey, she took off, following the noise.
Zindit runs up the stairs and follows the faint sounds of battle down the hall, with Uzés right behind.
Since the man clearly isn't about to surrender, Kelne opts to run him through.
After Kelne's blow he beggar is badly wounded. He makes one last desperate attempt to get past Amunyet and succeeds, but his wounds slow him and she cuts him down on the balcony.
"Belitas, no!" cries Knuckles.
Zindit made her way up to the site of the battle to see Kelne and Amunyet standing victorious over their foe with bloodied weapons. Her eye widened at the sight. Ohgodsohgodsstayontheirgoodsidestayontheirgoodside
Amunyet kneels down next to the man she cut down, bringing her holy symbol to her lips and forehead. "Most wise Pharasma, Lady of Graves, Judge of the Fallen. Weigh the soul of this wretch and bring him to his deserved eternal, wherever in the Great Beyond that be. Gray Lady, grant him peace he did not have in life, that he may not rise in the mockery of death and life." She touches the holy symbol to the man's body, and stands back up.
As Amunyet performed the man's final rites, Zindit hid around the corner, shivering and waiting until the priestess finished offering another soul up to Pharasma.
"Bloody idiot," Kelne mutters by way of eulogy, slinging his shield across his back and once again wiping the blood from his sword with an increasingly stained rag.
"Now then," he says flatly, turning to Knuckles, "How many of you were there to begin with?"
"Uhhh, 'bout eight of us I guess." Knuckles says.
Kelne nods. He'll have to get a headcount later, and he'll be checking the rest of the floor in any case.
"And who was in charge?" he continues, deciding now is as good a time as any to get a few answers.
With the battle concluded, Tessirda finally put her blade back into place, and watched around for Maybell, who she had sadly let out of her sight in the heat of the moment. Her prisoner could wait - the somewhat foolish, but unfortunate girl was what brought her here, and she'd not walk out without knowing her to be save.
Amunyet, scimitar still unsheated in her hands, walks over nearer to where Kelne is interrogating Knuckles. She adds her own question. "And who was Belitas, who was in such urgency to escape that he decided death was preferable to capture?"
"And who was in charge?"
"You done killed him, right there." Pointing to the beggar on the floor.
"And who was Belitas, who was in such urgency to escape that he decided death was preferable to capture?"
"That was Belitas. The Splithog Pauper, my boss. I reckon he thought could get away. He's real slick I'm surprised he didn't."
Zindit listened intently from around the corner, filing whatever scraps of information seemed important away for later.
If she could tell Tessirda what they had learned before they did, surely that would impress the elven woman.
"And the priests? What role did they play in this sorry debacle?" Kelne asks sternly. His money's on the younger one. In fact, given how the rats have been scattering from their sinking ship, he'd be mildly surprised to find him still on the premises.
"That dumb drunk? He don't know nuthin.'"
Amunyet asks Kelne, "What do we do these two? Call the gendarmes?"
Zindit chewed her lip, wondering if she should stay just a bit longer or if she could leave now and report to Tessirda. She opted to sneak away.
Softly padding back down the stairs, she looked about for Tessirda where she had last seen her.
"And accuse them of what, exactly? Squatting? Let's gather up a bit of evidence first and then decide. We can hold them in one of the rooms in the meantime. Oh, and we'd better collar that young chap who Knuckles here doesn't know is a priest." Kelne smiles faintly - the kind of smile it's best not to be on the receiving end of.
Zindit finally located Tessirda, launching into a flurry of speech in order to tell her of what she had "learned". "MissLadyTessirda! I just found out! There are eight of them and they've all been beaten and one of them is dead because Amunyet and Kelne killed him I saw them do it and the one they killed was named Belitas the Splithog Pauper and I don't know why he's called that but he was their leader and now he's dead!"
She seemed absolutely cheerful to be so helpful, even as she kept a healthy distance away from the elf.
"And accuse them of what, exactly? Squatting? Let's gather up a bit of evidence first and then decide. We can hold them in one of the rooms in the meantime. Oh, and we'd better collar that young chap who Knuckles here doesn't know is a priest." Kelne smiles faintly - the kind of smile it's best not to be on the receiving end of.
"Agreed. Don't ask me why, but I think our little friend Zindit might be good at searching for evidence." Amunyet smiles over at Zavos, and asks, "Zavos, would you be so kind as to get Zindit and Tessirda in here? And ask them to bring the young 'priest' as well, if you don't mind."
Zavos looks around and gathers the rest of the party.
Zindit quickly shut her mouth once she noticed Zavos.
Tessirda once again was feeling a slighty bit puzzled by the gnome. She was behaving as oddly as any of her fey-touched kin, but Zindit's behavior to herself was still unsettling. Why exactly was she as eager to please as she was, and yet seemed to be so fearful at the same time?
"Well, I suppose this is good news, in a way. I would have preferred to bring him in alife, but his men started the bloodshed, we just ended it." She answered Zindit, with a smile. Maybe building a little trust and mutual sympathy would get her past the strange behavior. She was, however, somewhat concerned about Maybell's whereabouts, but couldn't very well leave her prisoner with Zindit. Not after her helpful suggestion earlier. "Have you seen the girl who was with me when you came here? She's called Maybell"
The corners of Zindit's mouth tried to curl up in response to Tessirda's smile, but there was a nervous twitch about them. She shook her head vigorously when she was asked about Maybell. "Noma'am! But I'll find her for you really quick, yes!"
She ran off and throughout the building without another word, trying to find the girl and to bring her back to Tessirda.
Zindit finds Maybell in her usual spot in the chapel.
The rest are gathered around the two prisoners and the dead Belitas. The bunkroom is so small that the crowd is spilling into the hall and onto the deck.
There is still an old man cowering by the pigeon coop on the deck.
"Should we search the bodies?" Uzés says.
"Heyhey! Come along!" Zindit cheerfully shouted as she grabbed Maybell's hand, trying to pull the much larger woman back to Tessirda. "Miss Tessirda wants to see you and it's safe now and she sent me to get you and bring you back!"
"Knock yourself out," Kelne says, "I intend to run down that young priest." So saying, he sets off, deciding to start his search with the room he had claimed as his own.
Kelne finds the door to the cloister closed and locked, with the body of the thug that died inside now outside the door.
"Heyhey! Come along!" Zindit cheerfully shouted as she grabbed Maybell's hand, trying to pull the much larger woman back to Tessirda. "Miss Tessirda wants to see you and it's safe now and she sent me to get you and bring you back!"
"Okay." Maybell says and grabs a blanket wrapped around some stuff like a knapsack. "What about the Pauper's men?"
For now, Amunyet will stand watch over the two thugs. She won't be overly threatening, but will not sheath her scimitar, either.
"Why do you not tell me all that you know now? It may make things easier on you later. Perhaps we could even speak a good word or two on your behalf?"
Zindit tugged Maybell along eagerly. "We beat 'em all up? And some of them are dead!" she cheerfully reassured the girl. They were bad men right? So it's okay if they're dead?"
"Why do you not tell me all that you know now? It may make things easier on you later. Perhaps we could even speak a good word or two on your behalf?"
Knuckles looks at the elf then says "We were the Splithog Pauper's men, now we're nobody. What else ya want to know?"
To this the elf adds "Please let us go, I promise I'll leave town and you'll never see me again."
"We beat 'em all up? And some of them are dead!" she cheerfully reassured the girl. They were bad men right? So it's okay if they're dead?"
Maybell follows Zindit and replies "You did? Why thats great. Yes, they were bad men sweetie, and it's quite ok with me that they are dead."
Zindit was grinning from ear to half-missing-ear. She was impressing everyone today!
Tessirda met up with Zindit and Maybell soon enough, and nodded. "Good to see you unhurt. Thank you Zindit. Sorry I lost touch with you in the battle." She put an arm on the girl's shoulder, and squeezed for a moment, trying to reassure her. "We'll get you out of town soon enough."
She had half a mind of giving her some further words of encouragement. She was as much at a crossroads as she herself had been. There had to be something she could say that made it all better, all easier. Maybell wasn't cut out for the work she did, and it showed all too clearly to Tess. But she just lacked the words and the ideas.
Dawnflower, guide my hands she whispered... and just took her shot. "Do you know what you want to do once you are out of town? Do you have someone to take you in? To stay with until you have solid feet under you again"
[ooc]We can take this discussion off the main thread, I don't want to hold anything up[/i]
Oh dear. A locked door. No doubt he was expected to bludgeon it down or otherwise waste time trying to get through, thus providing anyone on the other side plenty of time to run away.
Instead, Kelne quietly made his way downstairs, working his way through the ground floor towards the stairs he recalled the pair climbing earlier.
"Do you know what you want to do once you are out of town? Do you have someone to take you in? To stay with until you have solid feet under you again"
"I got no idea what I'm going to do. Probly not much different than here, but at least Rizzo won't be there." Maybell says.
The double doors between the kitchen and the chapel seem to be the only other way upstairs, and they are also locked.
Another irritated sigh as Kelne gives serious thought to just kicking in the door. Petty vandalism is, in theory, beneath his dignity. In the end, he returns to the stairwell and calls up, "Anyone any good with locks?"
Tessirda shook her head. "It didn't work out here, why should it work better somewhere else?"
She pondered for a moment, what she was going to do. Just turning Maybell out of town, on a ship towards a place she had no connection to at all guaranteed she'd end up in another abusive pimp's clutches almost immediately.
"How about this, you stay with me for the moment. I'll talk with the house if they take you back. If not, we'll find a good place for you before you set out. Ann since you'll be staying with me, he won't risk it coming after you - as long as you don't run out again."
Another irritated sigh as Kelne gives serious thought to just kicking in the door. Petty vandalism is, in theory, beneath his dignity. In the end, he returns to the stairwell and calls up, "Anyone any good with locks?"
Zindit gasped in delight. This was turning out to be her day! She ran up to Kelne, chirping "Yesyesyesyes! I'm reallyreallyreally good at working on locks I work on locks all the time but not to break into places because that would be wrong but sometimes people need them worked on so I know how!"
She was already fishing her tools out of her pack when she arrived at the locked door, after which she immediately went to work, standing straight as she did so and squinting into the the keyhole with her one eye. [i]They're going to be happy with me I'm doing really good there's no way they'll accuse me of doing anything wrong...
Zindit, Kelne decides as he points her in the direction of the upstairs door, is an inherently disturbing person. He can't help but wonder just what the limits of her eagerness to please are. And of course whether she has loyalties outside their little group.
At any rate, it's probably best not to leave her alone. Who knows what she might decide would be helpful once she gets through the door?
"How about this, you stay with me for the moment. I'll talk with the house if they take you back. If not, we'll find a good place for you before you set out. Ann since you'll be staying with me, he won't risk it coming after you - as long as you don't run out again."
"Do you think they'll take me back?"
Zindit easily picks the lot.
Knuckles looks at the elf then says "We were the Splithog Pauper's men, now we're nobody. What else ya want to know?"
To this the elf adds "Please let us go, I promise I'll leave town and you'll never see me again."
"No. Not until we find out just what is occurring at this place. What exactly was the Splithog Pauper doing here? What was your assignments? I think you know much more than you let on; it would go much easier if you just told us everything and held nothing back."
Amunyet steps forward, brandishing her scimitar menacingly ...intimidate (1d20+2=16)
Tessirda looked Maybell up and down, and shrugged. She had gone behind the back of the church of Calisitra. Tough position to be in. Some revenge would be enacted on her. "I don't know. I can talk to them, but you'll have an uphill battle here. I'm behind you, though. If not, we find another way."
While the others are involved in their various business, Zavos goes to the deck to calm down the cowering old man.
"Ha!" Zindit smiled with absolute glee as her good fortune seemed to keep coming. Pushing the door open, she continued to ramble on, "See Mister Kelne! I do good work and I'm really dependable and really trustworthy!"