Mage Hunters

[Psilulz]

A local errand boy delivers each of you a letter from the Peoples' Aegis, each reading something to the effect of:
You will be meeting with your new squad today at headquarters. Come at around midday. I'm almost certain the other members of your group would not appreciate your absence, so please, do not be late.
-Master Grogan

It's still morning, so you have a bit of time before the meeting (roughly 3 hours). You may take this time to do whatever you wish. It will be assumed that afterwards, your characters will be going to the meeting. This is what will happen for everyone, unless otherwise noted.

At the Headquarters:
Once you enter, you are quickly prompted to enter a room. It is a fairly decent room, with mediocre decoration and furniture. There is a large window on the north side of the room, where the light from the midday sun is gushing through.
There are four other people in the room, (aside from the PC's) each talking to each other in pairs. A short, lithe man with slicked back oblivion black hair is restlessly pacing back and forth while chatting with a calm, young woman while she is perusing the book shelves for an interesting read. After some time, she seems to find a good book, and sits down to read, while unattentively listening to the man. The other two are both sitting down, enjoying some sort of board game and enchanging friendly banter. The man is adorned with various holy symbols, all clearly depicting Pelor. He has a certain grace and charm about him. The woman he is playing against on the other hand, does not. While she may not be the prettiest flower on the tree, she could very well be the strongest. The power of her build is clearly visible, even under the chain links of her armor. On the floor next to her chair lies an exceptionally well-crafted mace.
Master Grogan, however, is nowhere in sight.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

The Elf stalks his way to the meeting place, having everything he needs as a ranger of the wilds. He enters the area with caution, bowing his head in respect. He casts a wary, even hateful glance at the Human Woman, particularly after seeing her battle-ready status. He calls his innate power to his mind, ready to focus his ability if need be.

" Good Morning. Master Grogan, Is he around? Or is he asquare? " Elrith quips.


Loving the fact that my first post doesn't include a massive list of spells prepared for the day... :smallbiggrin:

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich


Henrich quickly walks into the center of the room, his long green cape billowing behind him. His heavy armor clinking noisily from his every movement and pounding step.

“Henrich Dunbold reporting for duty …”

The words died half spoken in his throat as he realized that Master Gorgon wasn’t actually in the room. He looks around sheepishly and gives the cleric a tip of his helmet recognizing a fellow clergyman – likely devoted to good works. That made them practically cousins in Henrich’s eyes.


Henrich grabs at the glowing holy symbol on his chest, his hands rebelling with shaking as he turned it over in his hand a few times. Henrich nodded towards the formidable looking Elf standing a few feet away.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
At the very cusp of lateness, in sidles Snake-eyes. Entering the room, you would hardly notice him; a blandly-handsome man with long brown hair and a rumpled exterior. He hums to himself as he goes, jangling a few coins in his pocket self-consciously. Looking around, he doesn't see much to garner his attention, so he leans against the wall near the doorway, wondering to himself if he has time for a nap before the meeting. Whatever it meant.
Daniel frowns. The meeting was kind of odd. But his conscience (recently) was clean, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

[Firebeard]

Nicolas

Finally! It's about time. I can't believe it has taken them this long to get started. This has to be about the escape!

At the appointed time, Nicolas strode into the building, spiked chains clinking softly as it hung from a specially constructed hook on his belt. A quick check of the room as he entered gave him pause. Taking in the appearance of the others, he quickly began cataloging in his mind the strengths and weaknesses apparent in the others, and determining what skill sets each likely possessed.

Not seeing Master Grogan in the entrance, he nodded sharply to the others and said, "Nicolas Hotar, at your service."

[esorscher]

In walked a tall man, with curly brown hair that hangs around his ears. His face is clean shaven, and his armor is so polished it nearly glows. An open book, on the pages of which there rests a human skull, is depicted on his breastplate. At his waist, his flail, on his back, his bow.

"Gabe," he introduces himself simply, placing an open palm on his chest.

[Kira_the_5th]

Noticing that there are already several people in the room, Javern quickly enters, his armor jangling as he enters.
Wow, so many people here already. Javern says as he looks around. But where's Master Grogan? I received a message from him earlier to come here to meet my new squad. Anyone else here get a similar message?

[Psilulz]

The pacing man gives a frustrated sigh, and without looking at any of you, says aloud, "Late. ALWAYS late to these little meetings of his. Thank the gods this is the last of... what has it been, three now?" The question clearly directed at the book reader. She responds, "Yes, this will be the third. I'm beginning to think he does it on purpose." She doesn't even bother looking up from her book. The man breaks his pacing to look outside the window, scanning outside for any signs of Grogan. After a few moments, he gives a frustrating sigh and continues pacing again. The holy man shakes his head at the pacing man while giving a slight smile. "Patience Tiernan. He does do it on purpose y'know? He wants us to get to know each other a bit better, seeing as we'll be working together. If one man could take out a mage, we wouldn't be here now, would we?" Almost immediately after those words, a small woman walks through the door. "Master Grogan will be here soon. He sincerely apologizes for his absence." At that, she walks out and shuts the door.

All four of them obviously know each other and have, curiously, been through this two other times, probably recently. At this point, feel free to chat with any of the four, or with any of the other PC's.

[esorscher]

"So, we're the replacements?" Gabe voices to all of the four more experienced hands. "What happened the last times?"

[Firebeard]

Nicolas

"I take you four have been on these little mage hunts before?" asked Nicolas. He tried to be as casual about it as possible, seeing as he had never been on a mage hunt before, no matter how little. But he was eager. Oh yes, he was.

Nicolas flashed the others a smile. He knew he wasn't much to look at. Thin, lithe, agile yes. He had a good, open smile, but the rest of his appearance didn't fare so well. His nose had been broken many times, and a scar ran from just below his left ear to the point of his chin, a remnant of a failed attempt to climb over the Bastille's wall on a dare when he was only 8. His hair was that shade of brown that signifies Nature's attempt to blend in to the background and not be noticed.

[Psilulz]

esorscher: The holy man chuckles, "Oh no. Sorry to give you that impression, although I can see where you got it from. No. The four of us are trade offs. Basically we switch between squads like yours to help with certain specialized needs they may be lacking. For instance, if you guys needed to sneak past some abjurer's wards, Tiernan would be the one to help you. If you were going toe to toe with an evoker, I, Lyonis, would be able to assist you there. A pleasure to meet all of you, by the way."

Firebeard: At the mere mention of a 'mage hunt' one of the pacing man's eyes begins to twitch, and his mouth grows something of a wicked smile, although it may be hard to tell, as his smile looks kind of odd, even for a wicked one. You can probably tell that he is not used to smiling very often. He continues his pacing, however, and it is obvious that his mind is elsewhere.
The woman on the other hand, looks up at the mention of the same phrase, and takes note of her partner. "Yes, we have. Hunting my kind isn't exactly very fun for me, as you could only imagine, but if it keeps me on the better half of the law, then so be it." She promptly returns to reading.

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich


"Well I am Henrich, the very humble servant of Heironeous. Healer, protector, counter magic specialist, explorer, justice-bringer and divine holy warrior" Henrich proudly proclaims by way of an introduction.

He shakes his head to one side to adjust a golden lock of his hair out of his eyes. He places his hand on the hilt of his sword and almost puffs his chest out. He checks his slight reflection in the window to ensure his green cloak is catching the sun's rays and showing off it's color.

"It is great to meet you all" he says ernestly and with a big smile.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Morrison nods in a perfunctory kind of way as the others introduce himself, but he looks just as irritated as anyone here. Then, with a squaring of shoulders, he shrugs it off and smiles in a bland sort of way. He shifts, and resumes leaning against the wall, disinclined to talk, really. Instead, he stares bleakly out the window, robbed of any purpose except to exist, for the moment.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

The Elf, like Daniel, feels no need to talk. He particularly avoids the Human Female, though smiles at Lyonis. " Good day... Let me ask: These mages, have they done wrong? "

[Kira_the_5th]

Does killing several guards at the Bastille four years ago, my father included, count as evil enough for you? Javern blurts out, followed quickly by a short retraction. Forgive me for being a bit touchy on the subject. I must learn to put my personal feelings behind me on the job. Also, Forgive my manners, but I haven't thought to introduce myself yet. I am Javern Allista, son of Earon Allista. I'm trained to take mages alive or dead, whichever they prefer.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel turns his gaze slowly to the man and his outburst, scratching his stubbled jaw thoughtfully. His gaze is focused more intently on him now, the only real thing that has caught his attention thus far. Sharply, he glances to the right, tilting his head as if catching for some distant sound, then he shrugs, and his regular disintrested manner reappears.

[esorscher]

"If Javern's story is not sufficient, think of this: these people can bend, even break, the very fabric of reality. Power corrupts."

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Snake-eyes snorts. "And a sword can kill any man who lives, just as surely."
He blinks once, slowly, as if surprised that escaped his own lips.

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich


"Power does corrupt I guess, but ultimately a man needs to answer for his sins. I'm sure these mages were locked up for good reason, which gives them no excuse for killing guards. Henrich proclaims.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

The elf simply smiles. " So long as Innocent mages are left unharmed: My dislike for their kind is no excuse for causing discomfort in those who deserve no such judgment. " He says.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Again, Morrison finds himself giving someone an odd look; this time the elf who almost radiated the smell of soap to his mind. Rubbing the bridge of his nose once, he returns his to his half-hearted vigil by the window.

[Kira_the_5th]

Javern
Do not worry, Elrith. My training is to take mages alive when possible. I don't like having to resort to violence, and if violence is necessary, I am skilled in severing mages from their equipment, such as staves and spell component pouches. Javern says. Motioning to the large two-handed sword on his back, he continues. This thing is far more precise than it looks.

[Firebeard]

Nicolas

At the elf's, Elrith's, words Nicolas almost spoke up with the sneering voice that had gotten him in so many fights as a youth, but in a rare moment of discretion he held his tongue. they were, after all, likely to be working together for the immediate future and there was no sense in making enemies of traveling companions just yet. Nonetheless, he thought to himself The only "innocent" mage is one that's bound to the Aegis. The rest should be incarcerated for their own, and others', good.

Aloud, he said "My parents were killed in the escape as well. If we are indeed going after the mages that did that deed, then well it is that we go prepared to bring them to justice."

[Kira_the_5th]

Javern

I do hope Master Gronan arrives soon. Javern says, taking another look around. I'm curious as to see what he called us all here for.

[Psilulz]

Almost as if on cue, the door opens. A man walks into the room. His strides are powerful and demand respect. He stops, and pulls the cloak hood from over his head, revealing a generous smile on a battle scarred face. "Nice to see you again you four," nodding his head towards the four others in the room, "and its a pleasure to meet the rest of you. I'm sure you all have questions as to why you are here. Well allow me to answer. You, you, you, youuu... you, and you (pointing to each of the PC's as he's listing "you") are all now members of a squad within the Aegis, and will be specially assigned towards hunting down rogue mages. There are other groups within the Aegis assigned towards this same purpose, of course, and that is where the other four come in. They'll be something of temporary squadmates, and will be switching between a few of the other groups depending on the needs of their mission. Have I lost anyone? Any questions? If not, I'll proceed to give you the details for your very first mission together."

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel looks down his rather sharp nose at Master Gronan, a slight frown on his face. But he makes something of an effort to come to attention, at least standing up from the wall. he lets the breezy question pass by and waits, silently, for the new mission. In his head, he's turning over his first impressions of his new comrades in arms.

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich

Henrich, not having any questions, keeps silent. He looks over his new comrades to see if they have any concerns.

Henrich absently scratches at a burn that long since healed on his hand.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith
The Elf simply nods, happy to be given an objective. Elrith always works best with a purpose, as do all elves. Such longevity can be a curse when a life is left to wander aimlessly, as such, Elrith's people dedicate themselves to a specific path, to build skills, develop talents and bring about spiritual focus and happiness.

[Firebeard]

Nicolas

Seems pretty straightforward so far. He nodded to Master Gronan to indicate that the man should continue. Turning his head, he looks to see if anyone else has a question. He gazed at the elf who had qualms about "innocent mages" earlier to see how he would react. When the merely nodded as well, Nicolas turned his attention back to the man speaking.

[Kira_the_5th]

Javern

Javern looked over at the others, then back to master Gronan, awaiting his instructions.

[Psilulz]

After a short pause, Grogan proceeds, "Very well then. Young men and women inside this very city have been disapearing recently. We're not too sure exactly how it's happening, but a few of the nobles' children have gone missing, so they're infuriated. Many of our sources believe that these people have been captured by mages for magical experimentation. Whatever the case, they are almost certain arcana is involved, so that's where you guys step in. I want you to find the source of the kidnappings, and bring it, or them, in for justice. You'll have the first choice of these four to bring along, so you're free to choose any of them. I don't care how you go about this, sticks, voting, whatever, just don't take too long. I have to give the other groups their assignments to..."

[The Great Skenardo]

Morrison
Daniel lifts his eyebrows at the revelation. That's quite the crime spree, although it didn't make much sense to him; why risk kidnapping nobles' kids when you're just doing arcane experiments? Probably there was something significant about them; either a grudge or a lineage particularly interesting from a wizard perspective. Either way, all Morrison offers is a non-committal grunt of acknowledgment, before returning his gaze out the window, but now with a more thoughtful eye.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

His face turns grim. He remembers clearly the pain he suffered from that human mage, back then... " Your request is acepted, from me at least. I pick Lyonis... "

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich

" I might be stepping on Lyonis' toes but if everything else is covered we can always use another holy man." Henrich states matter of factly.


Henrich puffs out his cheeks in anger.
"I can't imagine anyone kidnapping helpless children. Monsters!"

[Kira_the_5th]

More help is always appreciated. Javern says, looking around at the others. I'm fine taking along anyone who's willing.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel shrugs, then pushes off from the wall, scratching the back of his neck, idly.
"All right. Sounds like it's you, Lyon. You cool with that?"
Not waiting for an answer, Morrison claps his gloves together.
"So, information gathering. I'll be hitting the bar, myself; place called the Tilted Wig. Find me if you find something, I guess."
With that, he offers a lazy salute to their commander, and then heads for the door, whistling softly.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

" Okay. I don't like Taverns, they remind me of that time... I'll just look around while you go in. Shall we? " he says, fingering a pouch at his belt.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel stops in the doorway, looking over his shoulder. In profile, his blandly-handsome face is turned to a scowl.
"I wasn't suggesting you all come along. You all got talents, I presume, so go on and try asking someplace where you're competent. Don't go embarrassing me in my favorite watering hole. You can meet me there later, if you must."

[Psilulz]

Lyonis says, "Very well. I'll join up with you guys a little bit later. I have a few things with the Aegis I have to take care of first. Who, where, and when should I meet?"

Grogan beckons the other three, and politely bows. "Lets see which of you is going with the other groups..." he says. At that, the four leave the room, leaving Lyonis behind.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

The Elf blinks in an unnatural way at the others. His fist glows slightly, and he closes his eyes and thinks. " Don't mind me, I am focusing my mind. Continue. "

Full round action, gain psionic focus.

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich

Henrich watches the elf with some curiosity - A strange way to pray to the gods for sure.

"Before we leave, we should gather for ten minutes or so in order that I may properly bless our group. Heironeous' warding will help me keep our weaker members safe during battle" Henrich annouces matter-of-factly.

He mills about for a few seconds before wandering off for a quick walk to clear his mind.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel doesn't make any reply to Lyonis's questions. He'd work it out. If he didn't, Daniel didn't want him along anyways. Setting into an easy stroll, Snake-eyes slithers off to the Tilted Wig.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

Having gained his focus, Elrith glances at the others. He does his blinking again, then shuffles a bit, and speaks. " Yes, that will be wise. If Hierenous regards me worthy, that is. "

[Firebeard]

Nicolas

"There's an inn called the Singing Buffalo, near the northern gates. The fellow that runs the place is called Bard, even though he isn't one. Why don't we meet there around mid-afternoon? We can compare notes and move on from there."

Let Daniel stalk off on his own, Nicolas had some contacts of his own he wanted to try. It might be difficult to find some of them during the daylight hours, but he could do it.

@DM

I'm not sure what time it is right now. If it is already noon or afternoon, then I can adjust the post accordingly.

Also, once he breaks off from the group, Nicolas will spend the time gathering information from contacts.

Gather Info: [roll0]
Intimidate: [roll]1d20+6[/roll if necessary

[Cadian 9th]

Elirth

Growing a little impatient, Elrith motions for the others to follow him. " We should go. "

[Psilulz]

The Great Skenardo: After talking around in the tavern for a few hours, here is the information you've gotten: All of the missings are actually fairly young, ages ranging from 14-20. Around the victims, strange happenings have also been reported; spontaneous fires, eerie noises, and other miscallaneous, odd occurrences. Other people looking for the kidnappers include victims' families as well as the city watch.

Firebeard: From Jacob and Rath: They report that none of the victims' houses had any sign of breaking into or out of, and that no struggle was heard in any of the cases. Often, various posessions of the kidnapped had also been reported stolen, although none of it was of much real value. They've also deduced a list of targets that are likely to be taken next, and also suspect that the kidnappers will strike again tonight.

From Stumpy: He reports nearly the same information as the guards (save for the list), except that he admires their skills of infiltration, but insults their eye for wealth, noting that if they were true criminals, they could have easily stolen much more. He expresses interest in finding the kidnappers, and possibly having them employed.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel wanders around to the Singing Buffalo later on, humming quietly to himself. He nudges open the door to the inn with his toe and enters, his scuffed boots sliding across the floor.

[Psilulz]

Everyone else in the group, including Lyonis, is now at the tavern.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

The elf is discomforted by being forced by his group into the tavern, he wishes to stay apart from that memory... " So, what's the plan? " He asks.

[Firebeard]

Nicolas

As the group gathered together in a huddle, Nicolas explained what he had learned from the guardsmen. "In fact, these two names here" Nicolas pointed out the last two on the list he held "are suspected of being the next two likely victims. I imagine the guard will have men in place around both of these homes tonight to trap the kidnappers."

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel looks about for a moment or two, then spots the others about their table. Closing the door behind, he strolls over and raps his knuckles once on the wood, then takes an empty seat.
"Afternoon" he remarks, amicably enough. "We're dealing with magicians, that's for sure. Noises and lights near the kidnapping sites. Victims range from fourteen to twenty years old, they do, which is pretty unpleasant, given what you hear about magicians."
He rubs the bridge of his nose thoughtfully.
"Though me, I'd be a lot happier if I knew why they were kidnapping who they are. It's too damn specific."

[Kira_the_5th]

Javern, who had been listening quietly as the information rolled in, sat up at the table and looked at the next two likely victims. Perhaps it's for revenge, Daniel. he says. The family slights you in some way, you have magic powers and a bit of...experimentation to do. So you hit them where it hurts, take the one thing they can't just buy a replacement for; their bloodline. Or maybe our culprit just has some expensive tastes when it comes to test subjects, he says, shuddering a little, Or worse. Anyway, we'll find out when we take this villain in and interrogate him. Right now, our concern is capturing his monster. Anyone have any suggestions on what we do, short of splitting up into two groups and each visit a likely victim?

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel taps a finger on the wooden surface of the table.
"Well...that's another thing. Who Is this guy? Don't we have a list of escapees or something we can use to figure out who we're dealing with?"

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich

Henrich, refreshed from his long walk, listened intently to all the details.

"I'm not sure splitting up is wise, whatever we face it is likely formidable and will likely come for both children. We would get a shot at him or her or them if we camp out and watch one of the children." He reasons. "The real trick will be taking it/them alive if possible. We need to know what happened to the others. Even if this mage or mages were wronged, going after children..." Henrich was still unable to get over this fact.

Henrich sips at the muddy water in front of him, wishing he had ordered a real ale instead.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

The Elf gets more an more impassive as the group talks. " Mages are often corrupted by the power they wield. Perhaps we ought to instead look for, and find links relating to, pretty girls and ex-boyfriends. " He says. " Mages often have a sense of entitlement and are prone to treating other non-mages as objects. "

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel grunts.
"And I hear the buggers are always makin' huge generalizations about other people too."
With a sigh, the man scratches his whiskers.
"So that's it? Best we got is staking out one or both kids? How'd they even get picked for "likely next," anyways?"

[Firebeard]

Nicolas

"Before they went missing, the others had all kinds of strange things happening around them. Fires blazing, lights going on or off, dust devils kicking up around them when there was no breeze. that sort. It sounds a lot like what happens to kids when they first come into their power. All kinds of random nonsense, basically telling the world 'here's a new mage'. Anyways, these two have it happening to them right now."

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Snakeyes shrugs.
"All right, so our boy's after new mages then. I guess it kind of makes sense that there'd be a lot of nobles in that mix."
He scratches his head, thoughtfully.
"So, they're the bait. How we gonna spring the trap?"

[Psilulz]

Lyonis leans forward in his chair and says, "May I propose that we visit the houses of these two, as to get a better idea of the surrounding area? It would help if we are to lay a trap..."

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich



"That sounds pretty reasonable" Henrich answers. He brushes some hair out of his face. "Maybe talking to these children may shed some light as well." he mutters.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

" Unwise. We should use someone else to visit them, they're likely to be watched. " The elf says. He thinks...

" Lyonis, you can cast spells that veil a being from divination, no? " He asks.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel
Daniel picks at his teeth, absently.
"One day," he says, "Is a piss-poor amount of time to set up a trap. Either we're just winging it, or we try and identify the next one and let these two get nabbed."

[Firebeard]

Nicolas

"Well, there's nothing wrong with 'winging it', when you're short on time. Between us, we should have the resources to do a pretty good job of it. Besides, even if we aren't successful at catching them, we might learn something that will help us track them down. It's clear from yours and my efforts that either no one in the city knows what is really happening, or they aren't talking about it. Perhaps Lyonis has a plan? Or some divination that could tell us which house would give us the best chance?"

[Psilulz]

Lyonis says, "Hmmm... I was thinking that maybe the two groups could split up. If my suspicions are correct, then there should be more than one kidnapper if they are preying on this many people, and somewhere where they are keeping their victims. Following them should prove fruitful."

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich

"Hmm okay. Perhaps you should go with one group and I with the other. Just in case anyone needs healing". Henrich suggests.

Henrich looks over the rest of the group on how best to split them up.

[Kira_the_5th]

Of course, seeing as that was what I'd just said. Javern says with a hint of snark. Who's with who, then?

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

" First of all, I want to know what each of us is good at. Then we can effectively decide which of us works best with one another and as a team on the whole. " He says.

" I'll go first. I'm an expert archer with psychic abilities. I can boost myself in many ways, though I'm also handy in a tracking situation. I can find a target with ease. " He says, a matter-of-factly.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel shrugs.
"Fine. I got craft with a sword and a kind of way with words."

[Firebeard]

Nicolas

"I use the chain," Nicolas said, indicating the heavy spiked links clinking softly at his side. "I've been trained in up-front fighting, as well as intrusion and some tracking."

[Kira_the_5th]

I'm good with negotiations. Javern says. But if it comes to it, my sword is ready, and I'm quite good at both fighting and sundering.

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich
"Sounds like we have two trackers and two healers, let's split those up. Maybe Elrith, myself and Nicolas in one group and the rest in another group ?" Henrich asks.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

" Sounds like a Plan. What about you, Lyonis?" He says.

[Psilulz]

"Your plan seems sound. As for my gifts..." He grabs his metal holy symbol, a golden disc with Pelor's sign, and reflects the light from the sun into your eyes. "I channel the divine might of Pelor." He almost seems sarcastic about it.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

" Lyonis, would you go with Nicholas? " He says, fingering his sword. He checks his bow briefly.

[Psilulz]

Lyonis
"Sure thing. When are we departing?"

[Firebeard]

Nicolas

"Right now seems as good a time as any. Unless you need to retrieve some gear or prepare any of your, um, spells."

[Psilulz]

"No, I'm good for now."

Lyonis and Nicholas: They depart to the house of Abigail Linora. Her house is located in a decent part of the city.

The Rest of the Group: They depart to the house of Trent Drakken. His house is located in the noble part of the city.

It is not night yet, which is when the kidnappings are suspected to happen. Do any of you do anything special to prepare? Otherwise I'll just assume you want to wait until night...

[Kira_the_5th]

I'm prepared for night.

[Firebeard]

Nicolas

"Let's be off then Lyonis. I'd like to find a good place to watch without being seen and that is easier to do before night falls. You can tell me more about your past exploits as a mage hunter as we go." Nicolas grinned at the priest.


I am ready for nightfall as well.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel speaks up, finally.
"If this Drakken's got any sense, he'll be posting guards. I can pass, I'll go ahead and serve as one for a spell. There's advantages to that."

Morrison plans on seeking entrance to the house independently, Clearing his Aegis identity with Drakken, and wrangling his way into guard duty just outside the kid's room (assuming there would be at least one guard there that night)

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

The elf nods to Henrich, wondering just how the man aquirred his skills. Focusing his mind, he recalls information with complete accuracy...

" I am always prepared. "

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich

"Here,"Henrich says "wear this for good luck, it might help me heal any wounds you incur..." Henrich hands Elrith a plain gold ring.

He then lightly touches Elrith's forehead and begins to pray to Heironeous to aid him to be healed from a distance. Holy magic course into Elrith.

"Should we ask the family if we can hide in their house when it gets dark?" Henrich offers, obviously out of his element.
OOC

giving Elrith the component for 'shield other' in case I need to cast it on him.

Also used one turn undead to set up a 'Divine ward' on Elrith so touch spells can be cast on him from up to 35 feet away.

[Psilulz]

Lyonis and Nicolas: You and Lyonis are hiding in a nearby alleyway, with a clear view to the house. The both of you wait for quite some time, all the while Lyonis is telling you a story about a cult of necromancers he had helped undo.

Daniel Morrison: The city guard has informed the family that their son is at risk. Being a wealthy family, they have already hired guards. While you may be a member of the Aegis, it will take some convincing by your character to have them allow you into their home, and watching over their son, seeing that they know almost nothing about you.

Henrich: Your choice to ask.

[The Great Skenardo]

luckily, Daniel can do convincing. I can RP it or just give you a roll; whichever you like.

[Psilulz]

The Great Skenardo: I would like a roll, which will be modified by how well you RP it.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel approaches the Drakken home, thoughts racing beneath his half-lidded eyes. Before rounding the corner, he takes a moment or two to straighten up his appearance a little before approaching the gateway. He nods to the doorman there. "Morning. Here to see the chamberlain or the master hisself. Name's Morrison. It's about security for the night."

[Psilulz]

"Very well," says the doorman. "Do come inside." He brings you into a nicely decorated room. "If you'll just wait here a moment, I'll go fetch the master." After a few minutes he returns with an middle-aged man whose hair shows slight signs of gray. "I am Lord Drakken. A pleasure to meet your acquaintence. I've been informed that you are interested in assisting in guarding my abode from wretched mages who would dare to try and steal my very son away from me."

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel nods. "That's the shape of it, your Lordship. I've got two men preparing a stakeout outside, and I propose that I help stand watch personally. I'm from the Aegis, and while I may look the part of a common guard, I think I can offer your wee son extra protection, when it comes to that."

[Psilulz]

"I'm sorry but I hardly even know you. Even if you are a member of the Aegis, how do I know that you are not under some influence of a mage? How can I trust you, a stranger, with the life of my child?"

(make a social roll please)

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel snorts and brushes a strand of hair from his brown eyes.
"Well, let's be honest here. I'm Aegis. We do mostly nothing but battle mages. I'll guarantee you I'm better against magic than seven of your men, and keep in mind; I don't have to be doing this. You don't want our help, me and my team'll wait nice and quiet on the other side of the street, and when your boy gets kidnapped, We'll give the blighter a jolly good chase. We'll hunt down the mage-'cuz that's our job- and if he's still in one piece, we'll bring back your boy. But I'm gambling-" a faint sound, like the rattling of dice tinges the syllables of the word "- that you'll take professional help when it's offered. Up to you."
[roll0]

[Psilulz]

"Hmmm... you make a good point... but even so, I do not trust you enough to directly be watching over my child. The guards we have hired have worked with my family many times over the years, and have even gone through extensive training regarding defense against magic. You are correct about the professional help, however, and I would be a fool to turn down your assistance. If you wish to still help my family, I will permit you to assist however you see fit, but doing so outside of the presence of my child."

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel shrugs.
"All right. I'll get my team prepped. Be seeing you."
He offers a lazy salute before heading out to confer with the others. As he does, he tries to piece together the layout of the place in his head.

[Psilulz]

Is everyone ready for night then? Or is there anything anyone wants to do before then?

[Kira_the_5th]

I am a bit confused as to how the Drakkens expect us to protect their son while keeping away from him. Javern says upon being told the news from Daniel. Frankly, it's a bit suspicious. I mean, we should have some evidence that we're with the Aegis, no? For him to be still keeping us away from the scene, it's like he doesn't want us to be there. Perhaps one of us should keep an eye on Sir Drakkon.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel blinks, owlishly.
"Suspicious S.O.B, ain't you. Well, I like that, but c'mon. It's like he told me, he doesn't know us. And all he said is that we can't watch in the room itself. We guard the exits, and unless he gets spirited out, we can catch the mage."

He laughs a low, easy laugh. "Assuming it's L'il Drake that's gonna get nabbed, of course."

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

"Perhaps they wish the child to grow up unscarred - I know I wouldn't want my child to know that he was in danger If I could help it. " Elrith says empathicly.

[Psilulz]

A few hours pass by and the sun sets...
A few more pass by and nothing...
I'll need two perception checks from everyone

[The Great Skenardo]

Morrison
Daniel slouches in the hallway, arms crossed.

[roll0] +1

[Firebeard]

Nicolas
Aside from some light conversation with Lyonis, the evening and early night passes fairly uneventfully. Nevertheless, Nicolas keeps his attention on the room of the child in danger, waiting for the unknown snatcher to make an appearance.


perception: [roll0]
perception: [roll1]

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich

Henrich yawns lazily, having parked himself on a stump twenty yards from the house. Henrich liked helping people but wasn't sure he was suited to being a guardsman, sitting around all day. His mind wandering off...


[roll0]
[roll1]

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

Taking advantage of his Low light vision, Elrith keeps his vigil at the window...

spot: [roll0]
spot: [roll1]

[Psilulz]

Nicolas: Some time passes by, but eventually something... odd... happens. You see a raven fly up and perch itself on Abigail's window. After a few moments it begins pecking at the window. To the normal observer, these pecks have to order, but you can discern that there is indeed a pattern. While the timing of the pecks is in no order, the bird groups pecks in threes, and repeats the pattern a total number of three times. Afterwards, it flies on top of the house. Lyonis does not seem to take much notice, but a few minutes later, he gives Nicolas a nudge, and points over to an alleyway near the house. A cloaked figure emerges from the way, and begins walking down the street, heading west, towards the center of the city. The raven from earlier ascends into the night sky, staying visible for only a few moments, and then disappearing into the darkness.

Morrison, Elrith, and Henrich: Time passes by and no signs of commotion. However...

Elrith and Henrich: Elright and Henrich do manage to see a bird fly up to the window of Trent's room. It begins pecking at the window in some random order, and after a short while, flies onto the roof of a building a little ways down the street. Otherwise, the night so far is uneventful.
Morrison: Morrison hears some noises coming from Trent's room, but nothing suspiciously strange. One of the nearby guards faces the room, waves his hand in front of his face, producing a faint glimmer of purple light from his eyes. You can easily recognize the cantrip as Detect Magic. The guard stares into the room for a few moments, and seeing nothing strange, returns to his post a few feet away.

Is anyone going to do anything?

[Firebeard]

Nicolas

Nicolas observed the bird's behavior for a few minutes, then nudged Lyonis. "That raven there. It pecked on the kid's window, then flew up to the roof there." Nicolas said this in a low whisper.

Then, as Lyonis pointed out the figure walking away from the alley, he raised his eyebrows. "Should we follow?" Nicolas wasn't too happy about leaving the stakeout, but the figure appearing so soon after the bird had ...what? Contacted the person inside? It was too much of a coincidence.

[Psilulz]

Lyonis: "Aye. Too much of a coincidence indeed. I say we follow, but not too close, as to avoid arousing suspicion."

[Firebeard]

Nicolas

"Let's be at it then. I don't want to lose sight of them." Nicolas was worried about stealth. He had some skill in the art, but he did not know about Lyonis. Not to mention that at this time of night it was a lot easier to be noticed than in the daytime when crowds were about.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

The elf sees the bird and lifts a bow to eye, unleashing a shot. He nods to his companion.

Attack roll: [roll0] for [roll1]

EDIT: Sorry, I meant to post this straight after the brid appeared, but I lost it, shall I leave it?:smalleek:

[Psilulz]

Nicolas: "I sense your concern for my abilities, Nicolas. Fear not. Pelor has many gifts for his followers, even in the darkest of hours," says Lyonis, as he beckons towards the sky. He quickly produces a gray robe from a belt pouch, puts it on, and quickly begins chanting. When he is finished... Nothing. All of the sounds of the night, quiet as they are, disappear. He beckons you to follow. He takes a quick pace for a short distance, as to catch up (keeping his distance, of course), but none of his footsteps, or the clang of his armor underneath his robe, produce any sort of noise.

Elrith: I'm assuming you shoot it after it lands on the window, and that you're not just shooting random animals that fly by? :smallbiggrin: lol yeah its np though, you can shoot it if you really want to... Although its right next to the window... But yeah, just need to know if/when u shoot.

[Cadian 9th]

DM:
Yeah, sorry it took me a while to respond. I want to shoot it after it lands on the windowsill. Can I keep the rolls :smallbiggrin:

[Psilulz]

Elrith: You see the bird land. It begins pecking when all of a sudden an arrow thuds square into it. Astonishingly, the tiny beast seems unhindered by the attack, although it does seem a bit surprised. It quickly pecks at the window, and then flies onto the roof of the house, out of sight.

Kept the rolls. But yeah, it was my bad. Probably shouldn't've posted so much at once X_X lol I'm getting too excited about what action may, or may not be coming up... :smallbiggrin:

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich

"What the devil..." Henrich whispers.

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

" Incoming! " He says, rushing to combat stance. His focus is in place, yet he needs support.

" Get the kid to a safe place. Move it, and quickly! " He says, commandlingly.

If there are some guards around I will order them as well.
:smallsmile:

[Psilulz]

As Elrith is barking out orders to the guards, everyone begins to see an orange glow from Trent's room. The glow quickly grows much brighter, although it is somewhat difficult to see through all of the smoke.

Morrison: You and the guards almost simultaneously notice it. The faint smell of smoke. The guards both give each other concerned looks as they rush to the door. One of the guards, the one who had used detect magic earlier, opens the door and begins to walk in. However, when he swings it opena cloud of smoke comes rushing outwards, and the guard reels back, coughing profusely. The other guard immediately begins calling for help and water.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Daniel curses under his breath. Smokescreen? Or just the goddam kid setting fire to his sheets in his sleep?
Not to be caught flat-footed, Snake-eyes draws his heavy two-handed blade and, bent low to the ground, enters the room.

[Psilulz]

Morrison: There is a lot of smoke coming from the room, although the source is not magical. It is indeed produced from flames which cover much of the room's walls. Most of the smoke is concentrated near the top of the room, but a sort of haze (also smoke) fills up the rest. Looking around is a near impossible task. However it soon becomes obvious that the child is not in the room. You look around frantically and out of the corner of your eye, you notice something peculiar. On the floor, there seems to be an area where the haze is acting rather odd, as if a breeze is slightly blowing it away, ever so slightly. This area looks to make up the outline of a square on the floor...

[Cadian 9th]

Ok, I assume I cannot tell what Morrison can see, So I'll just do what I can , ordering guards and things.

Elrith

He readies a shot with his bow, looking for any targets, any movement.

Lost my MW Sheet, or access to it. I'm pretty sure I maxed ranks on Spot and listen though and my Wis is +3/

Spot [roll0]
Listen [roll1] Add +2 if I am looking for an arcane dude/creature.

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich

Henrich licks his lips in anticipation of having to cast a spell. He looks around for any sign of hostile enemies and fails to see one.

"What is going on?" He barks to no one in particular.

He moves closer to the house he was slated to watch.

[Psilulz]

Outside: All of you hear alarmed cries from the some of the guards inside. Word of a fire spreads quickly amongst the guards via yelling.

Elrith: You can quickly surmise that the bird is obviously magical in origin, most likely, a familiar. However, you do not see the bird peek its head over the ledge. You do see the fireball it vomits towards you though.

Morrison: You can tell that the square is not magical, but is rather a natural occurence. There is a slight air current coming from the panel on the floor.

[The Great Skenardo]

Daniel Morrison
Snake-eyes mutters to himself, and steps outside the room.
"Trap door." he comments, to any guards that might be about, and then he returns to the smoky room, kneeling down and looking for a handle or a crack to wedge up the square.

[Psilulz]

Morrison: You can open the door within a few seconds. When you get it open, you find a ladder leading down into a dim passageway.

[The Great Skenardo]

Morrison
Daniel scoffs.
"Blowed if I'm going down there alone."
Still stooping, he leaves the room with the aim of gathering his teammates.

[Cadian 9th]

Outside: All of you hear alarmed cries from the some of the guards inside. Word of a fire spreads quickly amongst the guards via yelling.

Elrith: You can quickly surmise that the bird is obviously magical in origin, most likely, a familiar. However, you do not see the bird peek its head over the ledge. You do see the fireball it vomits towards you though.


Elrith

He dives for cover, cursing his imperception.
[roll0]

With a cry, he summons his power and increases his agility: Animal Affinity, and then lifts arrow to eye and fires... [roll1] for [roll2]

[Psilulz]

Elrith: Your reflexive dive managed to save you from the worst of the flames, but you still take 9 damage. Your attack, perhaps somehow unbalanced by the blast, misses your target as it begins to flies away.

Morrison: So you're running outside?

Nicolas: You and Lyonis pursue the target for quite sometime. They don't seem to be in any hurry and don't suspect pursuit. The cloaked figure is mostly using main roads, and seems to be headed towards the heart of the city, the merchant district.

[The Great Skenardo]

(( Was just planning on opening the window. I'm expecting my teammates to be on the street below, after all.))

[Psilulz]

The Great Skenardo: lol sure that works too

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich

Henrich runs back towards Elrith, fearing the worst seeing the large explosion.

"Hang on!" He shouts. Not seeing anyone nearby to fight, he quickly casts a healing spell and touches Elrith's burns.


Cast cure light wounds spontanously - dropping protection from evil
[roll0]

[Psilulz]

The Party Members at Drakken's House: The burns in Elrith's flesh seem to close up nearly as fast as they had been formed. Out of the corner of the eye, you spot a window open and Morrison leaps out, a cloud of smoke close behind him.

[The Great Skenardo]

The Party Members at Drakken's House: The burns in Elrith's flesh seem to close up nearly as fast as they had been formed. Out of the corner of the eye, you spot a window open and Morrison LEANS out, a cloud of smoke close behind him.

"Hoy! You lot! There's a trap door in the kids' room! Think he's gone down it. Get your arses up here and back me up!"

[Cadian 9th]

Elrith

He rushes as his comrade says, watchful for danger. He crouches low, taking full advantage of his agility to leap through obstacles. " Some arcane famaliar, incoming! "

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Henrich


Henrich taken aback, runs into the house to try and back up Daniel.

[Cadian 9th]

Bump. So Can I cut and get to the action (i.e. with the others)