AVB - Glim

[Lokio]

You are walked into a recruiter's office. Sitting before you is a burly sergeant wearing a uniform and light armor. His sword hangs loosely from his belt, and he has a rather legendary handlebar moustache.

"So, you want to join the Watch. Why do we need you?"

[TheDivineWind]

"My name is Glim Scheppen, son of Gallun Scheppen, if you are familiar with his murder. I'm fairly handy with a dagger, and have practiced the art of stealth for most of my walking life." Glim hesitates for a few moments, a look of apprehension slides across his face.

"...are you familiar with the name Atel Gillwip?"

Atel is the assassin from my backstory, the one who trained Glim.

[Lokio]

The recruiter shrugs. "Never heard of him. Anyway, I'm Sergeant Stikeman. A stealthy man, you say? Well... How are your investigative skills?"

Ooc: sorry for the wait. This delay is very atypical; between an extreme weekend and no internet on my PC until thurs I've been in rough shape as far as posting goes.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim exhales slowly, and he relaxes his body. After a few seconds, he looks back up at the recruiter and responds.

"Nothing special, I fear. My training focused heavily on combat and stealth, with little focus on investigation. I suspect that I will have many opportunities within the Guard to expand upon my skills."


OOC: Hehe, not a problem. I just got back from being a groomsman at my buddies wedding, I never knew how much work that was. I barely had time to check if you had updated all weekend. Anywho, all good! Let's rock this~

[Lokio]

The recruiter says, "Well, as you train, I'm sure there'll be opportunities for you to work on those skills. They're very useful."

He goes on to tell you about the training process. It goes for approximately a month, and is much like military basic training.

You have the opportunity here to either RP some of the training, or skip through it. RPing some of it may be worth XP.

[TheDivineWind]

More than happy to RP it. Should I just go solo on it, or would you prefer to direct it?

[Lokio]

It's definately directed.

"Do you have any more questions, or would you like to sign your contract?"

[TheDivineWind]

"None, let us begin as soon as we can." Glim waits until the paperwork is available, and then signs were required.

Sweeeeeet :smallamused:

[Lokio]

Glim goes through a month worth of training at the Fortress. He is issued a masterwork chain shirt. He has the choice of using his own weapons, but is issued a masterwork longsword and dirk (shortsword) as well.

His first week, he begins being instructed in Aldhaven law, physical training, investigation, non-lethal combat methods, and various other subjects. He takes drill and ceremonial with one Corporal Payne, who lines them up on their first day and gives them a shouted 'lecture' involving calling the platoon "maggots" a great deal when they don't snap their arms high enough.

At the end of the first week, one of the other privates, a jackass by the name of Higgs, gets a little too drunk and calls your mother a whore in front of a dozen other trainees. He shoves you against a bar table. You may act.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim looks his fellow trainee in the eyes and slowly rests his hands on his weapons. As soon as they come to a stop, he recalls his efforts to improve his social skills, and find ways to talk to people. He removes his hands from his weapon hilts and rests them on his hips.

After a few seconds of considering his options, he attempts to diffuse the situation with a joke.

"Higgs, my mother is a saint and an honest woman, and no one should speak ill of her..." Glim says with a straight face, "...but I suppose you have a right to after she gave you that crotch-rot I'm smelling." A slight grin spreads across his face. He eyes the other recruits for a second to gauge their reaction, then returns his view to Higgs.

edit: I'll be traveling all day Friday, and be back Saturday!

[Lokio]

Higgs looks at you, ***** his head, and the other trainees begin laughing. He sneers and goes to tackle you.

Grapple check, please. You do not get an attack of opportunity against Mr. Higgs.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim's grin fades slightly as Higgs lunges at him. Glim had never excelled in grappling, he simply didn't have the body mass to match most of his other opponents. As a result, the instructor had suggested he use his agility to his advantage, and do his best to keep his daggers in between himself and his opponents.

Unfortunately, Glim hadn't had much time to practice it. No time like the present.

"Bloody foo...oof!", the impact rocked Glim back a step. For a split second, his fighting instinct took over and he attempted to push back. Luckily, he corrected his mistake and quickly shifted his hips to redirect Higg's force to allow him to slip out of the grab.


Escape Artist Check

........ crap.
[roll0]

[Lokio]

You slip his grip with a deft maneuver. Your turn.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim activates his Chronocharm and shifts 15 feet back, then holds the rest of his action in case Higgs comes at him again.

"Calm down Higgs, there is no need to get physical, Corporal Payne might catch wind of this." Glim frowns at that thought, "ugh, especially if Corporal Payne catches wind of this."

If Higgs attacks again, Glim pulls his daggers as Higgs charges and uses his AoO and his held standard action to attack Higgs for non-lethal damage, preferably holding his daggers in a way that conveys his intention as clearly as possible. I believe I get a +7/+5 bonus on such an attack (or a +9 if I can only make a single attack, and not duel-wield.)

[Lokio]

Higgs comes in, fist cocked, but you hear a sharp yell of, "ATTEN-TION!" The entire room snaps to attention, and just as you predicted, Corporal Payne steps in in his uniform. "What's this?!"

"Sir, Higgs attacked Glim. Glim didn't do nothin'."

"Is that right, Mr. Scheppen?" Corporal Payne peers out at you with narrow eyes.

[TheDivineWind]

"Sir! I...", he quickly looks to the other recruits in the room, "Higgs just tripped. I think he had a few too many sir."

Glim strains his body to attention and looks back into Corporal Payne's eyes with the sternness he had been learning for the past week.

[Lokio]

Payne looks at you, looks at Higgs and smirks slightly as Higgs comes to attention. "Clumsy today, eh, Higgs?"

"Yes, sir!"

"You get clumsy again, you'll be court-martialed. Get out of here."

Higgs salutes, turns to the right and marches out of the bar. As he goes, he gives you a look of gratitude.

Payne leans in to you and whispers, "Well done, Scheppen." He claps you on the shoulder and leaves the bar.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim salutes and, after the Corporal leaves he exhales slowly, reassured by the Corporal's comment.

"Sweet gods above, I need a drink." he moves to the bartender and orders an ale.

[Lokio]

The ale comes and the boys are generally impressed with your handling of the situation. Two or three more are purchased for you immediately after.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim finishes his drinks, chatting and laughing with the rest of the recruits. Once the rest of the recruits are finished drinking and they all pay their tabs, Glim heads back to the barracks with the group.

[Lokio]

The rest of the week passes without much incident. Higgs apologizes to you the next day and acts far more courteously to you henceforth. You begin intensive combat training for the martial component of the week. At the end of the week is a single combat tournament using blunted tournament weapons of your choice. Will you participate?

150 story xp. Well handled.

[TheDivineWind]

I shall participate, choosing dual daggers. Also, wooot, was fairly sure that would have gone poorly if Higgs got coordinated enough to grapple me. He must have rolled horrifically for me to slip out on a 12. :smallcool:

[Lokio]

Yeah... be ready for grappling. I use special attacks often, because they're smart. And I play my NPCs smart.

The week carries on and you go up against a young swordsman named Fenris who fights using a greatsword. As cheers go on around you in the Fortress training ground, you both draw your weapons and prepare to fight.

Initiative please.

[TheDivineWind]

Initiative: [roll0]

Glim draws his daggers and readies himself against his opponent.

I assume this is straight combat, no real opportunities for sneaky sneaky?

[Lokio]

Feints are your friend. Or doing damage to face. Whatever you wish. No penalties for these weapons for non-lethal though.

You react first as the 'FIGHT' signal is given.

[TheDivineWind]

Blinding attack... Is that going to be allowed in this competition? I don't want to get arrested because I blinded a fellow recruit...

Also, where are the called shot rules? I am almost sure it's a -4 to the attack roll, but for the life of me I can't find the bit of rules that states that. :smallconfused:

[Lokio]

There are no called shots in AVB. Try not to permanently damage anybody. Be wily.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim rushes up to his opponent and jukes to the left, throwing an obvious right jab and a less obvious low swipe in an attempt to distract his opponent for a few seconds and score a more solid strike.


Feint attempt: [roll0]

[Lokio]

You feint him. He swings at you clumsily, overcompensating (perhaps due to the feint) and misses you. He is flatfooted.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim swings both of his daggers to bear. His offhand comes towards the recruit's right side quickly, if a little predictable. He focuses his attention on his primary attack, aiming for an opening in his opponent's armor along the lower left side of his torso.


Full round attack
Primary attack (SA): [roll0]
Offhand attack: [roll1]

Primary attack damage: [roll2]
Offhand attack damage: [roll3]
Sneak Attack damage: [roll4]

[Lokio]

Your attack slams into the weak point in his armor and he grunts before swinging twice at you. He strikes you once, dealing [roll0] non-lethal damage. Your turn.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim reels a bit from the attack, but comes right back in, attempting another feint ( [roll0] ).

[Lokio]

Your feint fails. He swings twice and hits you again for [roll0]. You get the sense that had his followthrough been better, he would have knocked you out for sure...

[TheDivineWind]

Glim tries to shake off the hit and reaches down to his belt, whispers the activation command, and spends two charges to recover his stamina ( [roll0] ).

[Lokio]

Combat tactics lesson:

Payne yells, "Scheppen! Tumble out! Use your skills to your advantage so he doesn't just swing in on you!"

You are allowed a move action. Allowing a melee to swing in on you full-round action style when you're trying to minimize your pain is a poor choice.

[TheDivineWind]

"SIR!"

Glim rolls backward and tries to put some distance (15ft) between himself and his opponent. [roll0]

Thanks. I can build a decent character, but I've only learned how to maximize my abilities as a mage class. I suppose boot camp has a meta-gaming purpose too. :smallbiggrin:

-edit- hells bells. Second 2 in a row.

[Lokio]

You provoke an attack of opportunity and are struck for [roll0].

He then comes at you and swings, missing. Corporal Payne shouts something about not overbalancing himself so much.

Metagame? Naww... it's just Corporal Payne teaching you face to face combat tactics. ;)

[TheDivineWind]

Glim attempts another feint ( [roll0] ) and then tumbles ( [roll1] ) back and to the left, trying to keep out of range of an attack and avoid backing himself into a corner.

-edit-
Hehe, with any luck it'll stick.

[Lokio]

You succeed, and he charges you. He strikes you hard across the face with the greatsword for [roll0] non-lethal damage.

Payne whistles at the skill of the blow - you get the sense that had he been slightly more accurate, it might have taken your dome off.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim swears and comes back in, hoping to finish the job. He takes a single swipe, aimed at the same opening in his opponent's armor.


Attack Roll: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
SA Damage: [roll2]

Upon completing his strike, he rolls back again, attempting to get out of the way of the next strikes.


Tumble: [roll3]

[Lokio]

3d6 for 5.. rough luck.

The man charges again, missing.

[TheDivineWind]

yeah, no kidding. :/

Glim rolls to the side and continues to avoid his opponent's attacks. As he does, he activates belt and spends the last charge available. ( [roll0] )


Tumble Check: [roll1]

[Lokio]

The man charges and strikes you for [roll0].

He notices how wounded you are and begins going for the finish...

[TheDivineWind]

Glim ducks low and attempts a desperate move, sweeping his leg out in an attempt to catch his opponent off-guard and trip him up.


Melee touch attack: [roll0]
Trip attempt (with -4 mod): [roll1]

[TheDivineWind]

(assuming it works) He then swings in with his other attack and goes for a targeted attack.


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
SA damage: [roll2]

The description of a trip says it is a normal attack, so I figured I could do it as my first attack. If I'm wrong, my bad. I figured I'd hope for the best here. I forgot to do the second attack in a full round attack, so I'm including it in this post.

[Lokio]

You do trip him, and then stab him with your second attack. However, he is not flatfooted so he takes only normal damage from your offhand attack.

On his turn he stands, provoking an attack of opportunity. He swings and misses. Resolve your AOO with your turn.

[TheDivineWind]

Durp. I read it but didn't even think. I just had it in my head that they are denied their dex bonus to AC when prone.

Glim strikes as his opponent stands back up ( [roll0] ) and does [roll1] damage. He then slides to the side as the recruit swings at him, and then feints ( [roll2] ), and then tumbles backward ( [roll3] ). He holds the last of his action, a swift action, and gets ready to activate his chronocharm once the recruit begins the charge he seems to be favoring.

Assuming the recruit attempts to charge, Glim activates his chronocharm and runs off to the side to avoid the charge, so that Glim ends up 15 feet away.

[Lokio]

All the above happens and he charges. You avoid him and it's your turn.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim takes his dagger, and throws it at the recruit for a sneak attack!


Attack roll: [roll0]
Damage roll: [roll1]
SA roll: [roll2]


He switches his offhand dagger to his main hand, and holds his move action again to dodge out of the way in case the recruit dodges again.

-edit-
Holy crap, the dice gods love a last ditch comeback!

[Lokio]

The throw strikes the man in the head... and knocks him unconscious!

Corporal Payne lifts your hand in the air and says, "Our winner!"

take 300xp.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim slowly flows out of the battle as he realizes he has won. Akin to a clocktower that hasn't been oiled in years, a smile slowly spreads across his face in a slow, painful, and creaking motion. He looks up at Corporal Payne, and then back to the crowd. Slowly he straightens his back and attempts to look a lot less beat up than he really was.

[Lokio]

Were you disabled by the last blow?!

[TheDivineWind]

No, I suppose I wouldn't really be unconscious. I'll switch it around.

[Lokio]

You are bought another round of drinks and the tournament proceeds throughout the week. Your week is all about Aldhaven law and criminal investigation procedure.

You are sent out on a practice patrol as a trainee with a live group, patrolling the Old Town area. Equip yourself and report to Corporal Payne.

[TheDivineWind]

At his bed in the trainee barracks, Glim slides on his mail shirt, and begins strapping his blades along the belt across his chest and the healing belt around his waist. He lowers his chronocharm around his neck, and straps on his jumping boots. His meteoric and impaling daggers slide silently into the sheathes clipped onto his belt. Since his next assignment is to preform a walk-along patrol with full guard, he only straps on his canteen and pockets a small portion of a ration for something to snack on.

After he finishes, he heads for the door... pauses, and walks back to his bunk. He reaches in and pulls ten feet of his rope out, cutting it loose and tying the ends so they rope won't fray, and then coils it and attaches it to a clip on his belt. Quickly, Glim leaves the barracks and heads to the meeting point with Corporal Payne.

"SIR! Recruit Scheppen reporting for patrol."

[Lokio]

"Scheppen. Good to see you. Fall in with the other recruits."

He indicates a group of five men standing in a straight line. Higgs is there, as are two of the guys who bought you drinks after your win. There's another pair you don't yet know. Payne seems to know what you're thinking.

"These two gentlemen are Lance Corporals Johnson and LeDieu. If I am Pelor, they are... also Pelor. You will listen to them as if they are me. They will keep you safe out there. Our patrol takes us through Old Town this evening. Do you have any questions before we go?"

[TheDivineWind]

Glim salutes Lance Corporals Johnson and LeDieu and steps into line.

"Sir, only if there is any advice concerning Old Town. I never had many opportunities to get around town, so I know little of the area. Aside from that, I'm ready to go sir."

[Lokio]

Payne says, "Old Town's pretty safe. There's a kobold gang running throughout the sewers and some usual suspect crime, thieves and violence, but it's not too bad for the Watch. Better there than the Docks."

He divides the team into sections of three trainees to a lance corporal. You, Higgs and a sharpnosed elf mage are assigned to Lance Corporal LeDieu. The others go with Johnson. Payne decides to join and lead your group.

Your patrol takes you on a wide loop through the district. The first hour is pretty easy, but in the second hour, you hear a disturbance in a house.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim's head snaps to attention as he listens to the sound of a disturbance.

"Did anyone hear that?" Glim turns to Corporal Payne, "Sir, it sounds like a disturbance is occurring inside that house."

Glim pauses for a second, recalling the last week of regulations that had been pounded into his head.

"I believe that is grounds for us to check and make sure everything is allright."

[Lokio]

Payne motions at the door and Higgs yells, "City Watch!" and waits a moment. You hear screams, and Higgs bursts in first, drawing his sword as he goes.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim slides his daggers out of their sheathes and chases Higgs into the house. As he enters the house, he slows and checks the area as quickly as he can, attempting to secure the rest of the house and protect Higgs' flank.

[Lokio]

The scene is grisly. A man lies on the ground, shrivelled and pale. A woman lies there also, clearly dead but not quite so pale... and on top of her is a hardened, feral-looking pale creature with human shape, sucking at her neck. Higgs roars a shout and swings his sword at it. His blow simply bounces off the magical skin of the creature, who turns and gazes into his eyes.

Higgs turns and raises his sword at you, his eyes lost and unfocused as if his will is subverted. The creature continues to feed.

[TheDivineWind]

"Holy ****... SIR, HERE QUICKLY!" Glim steps back 5' to the side so he isn't in the Corporal's way and falls into a full defensive position.

"C'mon Higgs, snap out of it!"

[Lokio]

Payne rushes in and grapples Higgs. LeDieu comes in next and rams a potion down his throat as the man thrashes about. "Vampyr!" LeDieu yells. Higgs suddenly stops thrashing and says, "Wha-what?" and drops his sword, but is no longer under the effects of whatever spell he was under.

The creature finishes feeding and the woman is dead. It then turns and draws a massive spiked greatsword.

Your turn.

Shizz just got real.

[TheDivineWind]

Holy crap, no kidding.

Glim flicks his wrist and whispers the command word (2 charges) as his glassy dagger streaks towards the vampire, enveloping in flames as it travels to its target.


To Hit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Fire damage: [roll2]


Glim keeps his hand open slightly, as if he still gripped his blade. A second after the strike, the blade reappears in his hand.

[Lokio]

The vampire seems to move incredibly quickly, dodging the blade by leaning to the side. You have a move action left.

Payne yells, "Get out!" and heads for the door. LeDieu hauls Higgs out.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim hustles out of the room, following LeDieu out of the house. He holds a swift action for the use of his chronocharm just in case the vampire rushes him and he has to move quickly

[Lokio]

The vampire does not follow. LeDieu says, "We need to get this man to the Fortress," and the group starts running toward the Fortress. About 50 seconds in, LeDieu rams another potion down the man's throat. When your party arrives at the Fortress, he says, "This man has been dominated!" to the groups of guards around, several of whom pull out wands and cast dispel magic to free the man.

Higgs seems okay after that, but Payne goes to the Captain's office. A serious-looking man in a gorgeous chain shirt comes out and meets with you all very quickly, one at a time. When it's your turn, you're brought into the office.

"Private Scheppen, it's too bad to have to meet you under such dire circumstances. My name is Marcell Herrman." You know this man to be the Captain of the Watch. "Please tell me, what did you see?"

[TheDivineWind]

"Sir. About an hour and a half into our patrol I heard a scream come from the house in question. I alerted the rest of the patrol and upon hearing a second scream, we announce our identity and entered the home. Recruit Higgs was ahead of me, and we came across a pale creature doing what appeared to be feeding on the body of a woman. Another man lay dead along side in the room. Higgs took a swing at the creature, but it had little effect. At that point he stopped and had a confused look on his face, then rushed me. I called for the rest of the patrol and defended myself.

It was then that Lance Corporal LeDieu grabbed Higgs and I took the opportunity to throw my dagger at the creature. It was a solid throw, but the beast moved... he was fast sir. Real fast. I think it had just finished feeding, and it started to turn towards us. At that point Corporal Payne ordered us to leave and we ran as quickly as possible, Sir."

Glim is visibly a little shaken, but does his best to hold his composure.

[Lokio]

Captain Hermann nods. "Okay. Listen, Scheppen. I understand that you are a stealth specialist. How are you on tracking? Because there may be an assignment here for you... though I would understand if you said no. We can always send the Elite in after this creature. But I think you may be able to investigate this."

[TheDivineWind]

Glim harden's his face, does his best to settle his mind, and forces his body to calm.

"Sir, I've never had any formal tracking training. Most of my time was spent working on stealth and remaining unseen and unheard."

Glim pauses for a moment, "But I'll do what I can sir, I can back someone up, or go alone if necessary. I don't know if I can track that creature, but I'm fairly sure I can keep it from noticing me."

[Lokio]

"Okay. I want you to return to the crime scene. Check it over, make sure it's clear. Be unseen. If the creature is gone, report in and we will secure the scene. The Detectives will investigate it then."

[TheDivineWind]

Glim nods and heads out towards Old Town. Once he gets close to the building, he pokes his head around the corner and plans his approach. Upon finding the best path towards the house, he begins following it, moving silently and remaining hidden. Listening and scanning intently for any hint of motion or danger from anywhere around him.

Will you be rolling hide and move silently checks?

Just in case...
Hide: [roll0]
Move Silently: [roll1]

[Lokio]

I'll roll passive listen/spot, you can roll them too if you want something specific.

Man, look at us, getting business done.

The building is two stories tall, a nice-looking house. The area is quiet, and feels almost cold... you do not see anything from the outside. The door remains slightly ajar from your retreat.

[TheDivineWind]

And there I go, running off to do things and ruining it. ;_;

Shoulda said something I suppose, but I needed to head to the library and work on my thesis.

Glim hesitates, weary of the lack of activity in this section of town, and cautiously moves towards the house. As he passes the other homes, he peeks into windows and listens intently to check if people are still safe in adjacent houses. If he doesn't see any sign of life, he moves around other houses and checks to see if he can find any trace of anyone in the area.


I suppose that would warrant a spot check and a listen check to specifically look for signs of life in other houses.
Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[Lokio]

Glim realizes he's being a bit paranoid - there are signs of life in the area, everyone is just subdued from the bloody murder.

You approach the house. Nothing pops out to slice your neck.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim sighs a bit of his stress away, and shakes his head, setting himself back to the task at hand. He approaches the building and does a slow inspection of the circumference, checking the windows and finishing at the ajar front door. If he spots anything that could be suspicious, he stops and studies the anomaly specifically.

[Lokio]

There are no anomalies... when you look into the room, you see that the bodies are gone.

[TheDivineWind]

Don't know if I'd need it, and I'll leave the ruling to you, but just in case I don't realize that vamps can create offspring, here is an intelligence test for it!

INT check to see if I know vamps can create spawn: [roll0]


Glim enters the front door and makes his way as quietly and stealthy as he can and surveys the area. Slowly, he checks the side rooms on the first floor, and systematically makes his way through the house's first floor, checking behind doors and in every nook he can think of as he does (and from the greatest distance if he can help it).

After clearing the first floor, he moves slowly upstairs, making sure to check above him in addition to all around him.

[Lokio]

You realize that they create spawn...

You don't hear anything or see anything... there are two more rooms upstairs, both with doors closed.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim approaches the first door and puts his ear to it, listening intently. Then to the second door, looking to see if he can hear anything before he enters either.


Listen 1: [roll0]
Listen 2: [roll1]

[Lokio]

You hear something behind the second door, a growling noise.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim painstakingly exits the house, working to be as silent as possible. Once he exits, he finds a window on the outside that leads into the room and looks to see if the drapes are open. If they are, he finds a house that could offer a better view into the room, knocks on the door and introduces himself as the guard, and asks for access into the room that would provide a view into the second room.

If the residents refuse access, Glim pulls back and regains contact with the guard in order to report that something is still present in the house, though he was unable to secure visual confirmation.

[Lokio]

The neighbor doesn't trust you immediately, but let's you in once she sees your insignia... And within, you see a vampire spawn, the woman who had been bitten.

She sees it too and chokes back a scream. The spawn is wandering around aimlessly in the room.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim tenses and then catches himself, turning to the woman and quietly speaks.

"M'am, we are going to quietly exit this room and head over to the guard HQ to report in on what we have seen. That way I know you'll be safe. Now, let us slowly leave this room and close it off. if there is anybody else here, let us gather them and go immediately."

He pauses, "I don't think we are in any immediate danger. However, this needs to be reported. I need to secure the front door on that building before we go. When I am done I will return and we shall leave."

Glim quietly urges the woman to hurry in getting herself ready once more and silently approaches the front door and reaches for the handle. Pausing, he thinks better of it, leaves the door only open only a crack, and slices a thread from the rope he carries. Then, using his dagger he loosens a thin sliver of wood from the floor under the door, and squeezes the thread under the sliver of wood and against the inside of the door with the idea that if anyone opened or closed the door, the thread would be resting in a different position.

Glim then returns to the woman and escorts her (and whoever else) to the guard to report on his findings.

[Lokio]

The woman nods, crying, and she follows you out back to the Fortress after you lock the door.

The Captain meets you. "How's it looking, Scheppen?"

[TheDivineWind]

"Sir, we have a situation. I approached the house in order to confirm the continued presence of the creatures we encountered earlier. After sweeping the first floor, I went upstairs and found two closed doors. Listening closely I heard a growling noise through one of them. Instead of possibly engaging the creature, I exited the building and approached a neighbors home that would have a view into the room. (Glim motions to the woman with him) This citizen allowed me access to such a view and from there we saw the woman that was killed earlier, though she is a deal more ambulatory than when we left. I believe she has been turned, sir. Since this citizen was the only one who knew of the issue and had seen the creature, I escorted her away from the site for her safety after I secured the door to the building in question."

Glim pauses, "Considering our last encounter, I thought it best not to engage the creature alone, Sir. Further, I could not locate the remains of the male that was also found dead at the site, or the original creature. While I made a thorough check of the first floor, I did not get a visual on the first second-floor room, nor a full view of the second second-floor room where we saw the woman."

[Lokio]

The Captain sighs. "Pelor's breath... okay. I'm not about to send you back into that. You're a precision fighter and those things have no internal organs that work. We'll send for a Radiant Servant to clean this up. Thank you, Mr. Scheppen. You can resume your training

200xp."

[TheDivineWind]

Huzzah!

Glim salutes, nods to the woman, and heads back to his barracks.

[Lokio]

On your way back, you see various groups of recruits training. One is training under a sergeant doing physical training by running up and down the walls whilst holding hundred pound sandbags. "JOHNSON! I SAW YOU DROP --" you hear as you leave earshot.

When you get back to the barracks, you see Corporal Payne sitting next to Higgs on his bunk. Higgs is weeping openly. Payne is giving him that quiet, drill-sergeant pep talk about how he's done very well and shouldn't be afraid, but the recruit was terrified -- by the sounds of it, by the mind control he underwent.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim pulls out his weapons and unlatches his equipment as he starts to change back into recruit uniform, placing the gear back into the chest at the end of his bunk. After he finishes he sits down on his bunk, looking at the Corporal and at Higgs, then to his hands.

Glim sits there for a number of awkward seconds, not knowing what to say. His time with Atel had pushed him to focus in stressful situations, but he wasn't sure how he would deal with someone getting into his mind like the vampire had done to Higgs.

Internal Monologue!: Higgs was a dumbass when I first met him, but he has started to grow up, and has sort of become a comrade over the last three weeks I've trained with him. He seems to have channeled that hostility and energy into the task at hand, and had improved since I first met him, though he'd been a bit of trouble getting there. Still, no one deserved that... hell, it probably would have been me if Higgs hadn't rus...

Glim looks up to Higgs, "You saved my ass in there Higgs." Glim pauses, "You're a beefy guy, I'm not surprised it went to control you instead of going for a straight fight. Had it been me, he probably would have torn me in half. So, thanks."

[Lokio]

I have a new opportunity for you. A big questline. A dangerous one. Follow it if you want.

Higgs smiles and thanks you, and Payne nods with respect. You can tell these two men are very pleased with your attitude and you suspect Higgs will be a friend for a long time.

The last week of training goes on, and you graduate with honours. You are promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal, and Corporal Payne and Captain Hermann shake your hand vigorously. "Well done, Scheppen. It's an honour to have you aboard." You also recieve a medal for 'Top Recruit'. The rest are promoted to Private from Recruit and are your subordinates -- well done!

The next day, you are assigned to duty. Corporal Payne returns to the Training section and you are assigned to one Sergeant Rayan, who seems like a bit of a hardass. You're given a desk and he ships a file across it. "Got a murder, new guy. Market district, a warehouse on Broad Street. Some mage with a slit jugular. Real messy... best get down there and do some legwork. Bring Higgs with you, if he's up to it."

In the file is a map and a writeup -- apparently the night before, someone found a body of a mage with a slit throat. He died apparently in one clean cut... and had an 'M' cut into his chest. The clerics suspect that was post-mortem.

Have a thousand story XP and 500g for your first month's pay.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim reads through the rest of the notes and looks for any report on the victim, who he was, was associated with, and any other information present. After he finishes, he slides into his equipment, brandishes the seal of the guard on the front of his chain shirt, and heads over to grab Higgs. Glim pokes his head into the room.

"Higgs grab your stuff, I've got our first case on the job. It's a murder over in the market district. I figure you'd like to get out and stretch your legs a bit as much as I want to." Glim hesitates and looks back at the file in his hand, "By the sound of it, I hope you didn't eat yet..."

So, couple of quick questions so I don't have to keep pulling things out of my butt when I am writing fluff. What do I have that indicates that I'm with the guard? Is it a cape or a badge I carry or maybe a cape clasp, possibly a pin of some kind? Also, is there some kind of rough map I can get for the Guard HQ? That or a general description of primary locations/where I can find people. That way I don't have to make up where I go looking for folks ever time I'm wandering around the place.

As for the plotline, I'll follow it as long as Glim thinks it is smart. My idea for him is he is still learning exactly what that is (when to retreat, when he is over his head, when to push for info, etc..). The vampire was a pretty obvious choice IMO, but I suspect he'll be getting into more grey areas soon.

[Lokio]

Have a cape clasp that's like a badge. That seems good.

Guard HQ I'll work on, but basically, there are barracks (which you have a bed in if you want), stables, a courtyard, walls, the training yard, a bullpen for duty staff, offices for detectives, and senior staff offices.

Higgs looks up from his seat and says, "Okay, what do we have, Corporal?" He grabs his sword and follows you out.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim grins slightly and starts walking with Higgs towards the Market district.

"Okay, the file seems a bit light on our victim, so we're going to have to do the legwork for this one. We've got a mage who was found dead in the Market district here (he hands Higgs the map) in a warehouse, so we should figure out what they were doing there. One clean cut across the neck caused the victim to bleed out, looks like the mage was caught off guard. There was no other reported damage... except for the M someone carved into the victim's chest after they died. I figure the M is either a signature or an accusation. Takes a lot of pride or a lot of anger to mutilate a body after the deed is done, I suspect. So we can look into what that might mean after we find out as much as we can about the victim and the circumstances of his death."

Hahaha, I just read the main city thread. Why do I get the feeling I'm heading towards Tyndmyr's corpse? This does sounds like a pretty awesome, and potentially hazardous, line of quests. Who knows what sort of hijinks the other players get themselves into!? Looking forward to this!

[Lokio]

: mysterious shrug : IDing the body is often part of the investigative process... ;)

"Okay... wow, what a kill. Well, I'm decent at gathering information... let me know what you want me to do, boss."

As you arrive, the scene is grisly. A group of street-duty Watch personnel are holding back onlookers. As you flash your badges they let you in. "Ah, Lance Corporal Scheppen, Private Higgs, good of you to come." A sharpnosed human man with a pair of short swords on his belt and a perfect brunette combover stands by the door. "I'm Detective Royce. I appreciate your assistance. Thanks for coming on such short notice." You aren't sure, but you suspect he might have made a wisecrack about your height.

He brings you and Higgs into the warehouse, where a grisly scene indeed awaits. A man's body lies there, awash in his own blood. Smears of red are streaked down the crate near which he fell, as if he had staggered against it and bled all over it. As you close with the body, you see that someone carved 'M' into his chest with a long, thin blade in four fast slashes.

"The King's Detectives will of course be handling this... and by that I mean me. However, if you can help find and convict whoever did this, I will ensure you get right proper credit."

[TheDivineWind]

Glim sizes up the Detective and decides he probably wouldn't give him or the guard half the credit they deserve if he managed to catch the murderer.

Oh well, thankless job.

"Sounds good. Higgs, why don't you give the warehouse a thorough search, maybe there is something that got left behind, make a note of anything that seems even a little odd or out of place."

Glim slowly searches the immediate area and the body, "What do we know about our victim?"


Glim takes 20 on his search of the immediate area for a total of 24 on every search. Should be a minute for each 5x5 foot square. He searches the body, and everything within a 20ft square around the body. If there is enough dust in the warehouse (dunno how often it would be used) he also looks to see if anything could be figured out by footprints. Hopefully talking to and gathering info from the detective won't provide a distraction.

Once Glim is finished with that, he starts looking up and around. Places someone could hide, attack from with a thrown weapon, points of entry and exit, as well as any other potential clues.

[Lokio]

"Some lady saw him outside playing with some freaky ape that disappeared. Ape tried to open the door, then he teleported in here. The ape disappeared moments later. I'm guessing our vic died fast." Royce said. "You can talk to her if you want, she's over with Private Daro." He points. "Vic's name is unknown, but he matches the description of some guy who attacked the Old Town guard station yesterday with a bunch of strangely non-lethal magic. If that's him, then we're looking at a boy called Tyndmyr."

Higgs goes about his tasks as ordered. Your search doesn't come up with much, but you can tell that there are numerous shadowy and hidden areas in the warehouse - lots of stuff to hide around or beyond. While you can't tell for sure, it's possible that you could guess at what weapon did this with a knowledge (engineering or local) check.

There are two scaffoldings around the second and third floor of this place, and an office up in the top left corner of the ceiling on the third scaffolding. The room looks like someone lived in portions of it; a curtained off section reveals a queen-sized bed and a desk.

[TheDivineWind]

Knowledge (Local): [roll0]


Glim nods and makes a note of the possible ID of this individual and what he knows of him so far. "Hmm, should check the guard post too, then. Maybe what he was doing there had something to do with this." Glim looks the dead mage up and down, noting what he is wearing and if any of it looks expensive/magical or unique so he can use it for a description when interviewing other people.

Next, Glim goes to the small office and searches it top to bottom, looking for any items that might identify who has been living here, or anything that may relate to the murder (or anything of interest). He takes 20 on this search for a total of 24.

After he finishes, he waits for Higgs to return with his report and when he returns, "Okay, lets go interview the witness. I want you to lead with the questions, and I'll chime in from time to time. We need to see if anything has been stolen from the mage between now and when the witness saw him, we can hit up the shops and check if anything has been sold; so a physical description is going to be the primary goal here. Otherwise, try to tease out every detail you can from the witness, and see if they are aware of anything else that seemed odd, or if she knows anything odd about this warehouse."

Glim turns to the Detective, "Okay, lets go talk to the witness. After that we're going to go interview the staff at the guard post that got attacked and see what they know. (If Glim gathers any info from the knowledge check, he shares that as well)"

Good lord, never hit preview post if you have a roll in the post, it mucks up the whole coding!

[TheDivineWind]

Durp. Doublepost for the roll to assist Higgs in a Gather Information check. [roll0]

Gogogogo 10 or more!

-edit- FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFooi e.

Are you familiar with a PrC that grants improved initiative in the first level? For some reason I took that racial feat Silent Strike instead of Improved Initiative, a requirement for all the PrC classes I want to take. Not sure what I was thinking when I chose that. XD

[Lokio]

You can get a psychic reformation and fix that if you want... costs 50xp per level you go back, and you can redo all your skills/feats if you want. It cost I don't know what the PRC is.

Your assist roll fails.

You get the sense the mage's body has been looted of valuables, but he was wearing nice robes that are now shredded at the front in the M shape.

Your absolutely awful Search modifier barely helps you to find a small advertisement tucked into a drawer. You do not find the trap as it goes off because your modifier is awful, and need to make a reflex save.

You realize that the weapon was some kind of enchanted elven longblade.

Higgs shakes his head and says, "You lead in the questioning, Corporal. I'm no good at that stuff." You get the sense that you should probably lead if you want to get anywhere.

You meet the witness, a lady in her mid-thirties who seems shaken up by the fact that someone died. She is really very attractive, wearing a fashionable silk black dress.

[TheDivineWind]

Well, plenty of options to redistribute those skill points, jebus. I forgot entirely about that power. I'll have to see if I can't track down a psion and hire them.

Reflex save: [roll0]


Glim approaches the woman with a calm smile on his face, trying to appear relaxed and to help calm the woman. "Hello ma'am, my name is Lance Corporal Scheppen. Is it all right if I ask you a few questions? I know the detective has already asked you a number of questions, but I'd prefer to get a sense of things from you personally, just in case."

"Could you describe what you saw? Then we can spread out from there." Glim smiles as warmly as he can, though he isn't sure if it came off awkward or not.

Gather Information check: [roll1]
Diplomacy to attempt and make her more relaxed and more likely to recall information: [roll2]

Glim attempts to discern more information about how the individual looked and what he was wearing before he entered the warehouse, and asks for more information on anything that doesn't seem to line up with the story he was given by the Detective.

[Lokio]

"I saw a guy with a huge, scary ape he summoned try to enter. When the ape tried the door and found it was locked, the guy just sort of... blinked inside. Then I heard a grunt and a man with an accent saying, 'I guess next time you'll try invisibility'."

Pardon the delay...

[TheDivineWind]

"Hmmm.. (Glim makes a note that the attacker seemed to have spoken after the attack). Can you describe what the individual you saw was wearing? Any detail may help. Especially if anything struck you as unique, or if it stood out?"

[Lokio]

"Yes... he had mage's regalia on, you know, like the wizards in the Mage Quarter? I know this because I'm a clerk at the University." She sniffs. "He called up some freaky ape, I'm sure of it..."

You get the sense she's referring to the victim.

[TheDivineWind]

"Yes, the Ape. What made it freaky? Could you describe it?"

[Lokio]

She describes a fiendish ape. "Everything about it was twisted and dark and evil... even its breathing seemed angry."

[TheDivineWind]

"Excellent. That will help a lot ma'am. Now, you said he was wearing a mage's regalia. I'm not particularly familiar with what mages in the mage quarter fancy, so could you be specific and describe what they look like? Also, was he wearing anything else; rings, a hat, earrings, unique shoes, a cloak... anything else at all?

[Lokio]

She can't describe much more, but describes the robes that you see on the body that are shredded.

She says again, however, that the speaker had some sort of accent, sounding like it's from out of town -- Spanish is the closest approximation.

[TheDivineWind]

"Allright ma'am. I've two more questions for you. The first is when did you observe all of this?"

Glim waits for a response before he continues, "And the second, where were you when you saw all of this?"

Sort of looking for an idea of where she was relative to the warehouse.

[Lokio]

She points; she was literally in the middle of the road in front of the warehouse observing it all.

[TheDivineWind]

Ahhh, I thought it may be suspicious that she could hear someone talking through a warehouse door through the din of a marketplace. That close though, she could just be a moderately adept listener. Also, you skipped the question about when it occurred.

-edit- It strikes me that I may be digging a bit deeper than the plot exists, trying to tease out details that may not exist. Feel free to give me a heads up if I'm digging pointlessly after I've gathered all there is to get in order to move the game along.

"Thank you ma'am. If we've any more questions for you, we'll come by and ask."

Glim nods kindly towards the woman and leaves to find Higgs, "Hey, lets head over to the guard station in Old Town and see about the attack. Maybe they can give us some more information on this. I want to get to them as soon as we can so the details are as fresh as possible. After that we can attempt to scrounge through the local fences and shops, but I doubt that's going to be of much use."

Assuming everything goes along, we head off towards the guard post.

[Lokio]

She's not entirely sure. It was a couple of hours ago.

You head to the Old Town guard station, noting that Old Town is well north of the Market District. The guard clerk nods to you. "What can we do for you, mate?"

[TheDivineWind]

"My name is Lance Corporal Scheppen and this is Higgs. We're investigating the incident last night concerning a mage that attacked this station. Who can I talk to about it? I need as much detail about the attack and the mage's goals as possible."

[Lokio]

The clerk narrows her eyes, but she nods and points to a back office. "The sergeant... yeah. There was a mage. He can tell you the most about it as he was the one initially attacked. We almost took him down but he somehow teleported out."

[TheDivineWind]

"Huh. Thank you...." he waits for her name, smiles, and repeats it back to her, "______, thank you."

Scheppen heads towards the sergeant, "Hello, I'm working with The King's Detectives..." a bit of a hesitation seeps into his voice as he mentions them, "... to investigate the attack last night. We believe your attacker was killed in a warehouse over in the market district last night. What can you tell me about the attack?

[Lokio]

"Some mage bombed in here, attacked me with a hold spell and then began dropping stinking clouds and webs in here... we almost killed him, then he blinked through the wall and ran. Don't know what the hell he was thinking, he was asking about some criminal named Maladoro..."

[TheDivineWind]

"Heh, maybe he found him. The mage turned up dead in the market district last night. Wandering around with a summoned fiendish ape trying to enter a warehouse. He teleported in and was killed within seconds. Doesn't sound like a smart fellow."

Glim grins, and then clears his throat. "So, did this guy just hit the guard post right off the bat, or try to ask around first? Oh, and do you have any files on this Maladoro guy? I suspect he may be involved in the murder of our victim. By the sound of it though, I might buy him a drink before I arrest him."

[Lokio]

The sergeant shrugs. "Yeah, he was a fool. He came into my office, jabbered about Maladoro and demanded my files, then held me. He then began bombing in on us..." [Sense motive: You sense he's hiding something.]

He covers for this by opening his desk drawer and handing you a file. "This is what I have on Maladoro."

Within the file is a description of a man with a very interesting methodology. Maladoro is a grey elf. He is extremely intelligent, suave and attractive, and he started out being a gentleman thief, wooing men's women, a real panty snatcher. He then was caught by a man, who called the Watch... before they arrived, the man was killed by a slit throat from a longsword, expertly slashed. Same MO as Tyndmyr. The woman told the Watch that he also had an interesting accent.

It is suspected that Maladoro haunts some of the higher-class bars in Old Town... though he's not the only grey elf in the city by a long shot.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim thumbs through the report slowly as he talks to the sergeant, "He just meandered into your office, demanded the files, and attacked you? What else happened?"

[Lokio]

"I refused to give him the files. He threatened me about it while I was held, but my people saw him and attacked him."

[TheDivineWind]

"What did he say specifically? I figure there isn't much more to this guy's story, but who knows what could be significant later on." Glim hands the file to Higgs to read through.

[Lokio]

The sergeant seems flustered. "I don't remember, man. He demanded to see my file, and I wouldn't show it to him, so he held me! I was terrified, he could have slit my throat!"

[TheDivineWind]

"That's okay, I was just hoping. Thanks for your help, and that file. It's going to help our investigation a lot. You did good keeping it from him, by refusing to give it to him you bought enough time for your comrades to back you up; if he had gotten it, it would be in the hands of our murderer now and this Maladoro guy would be far ahead of us. I'll make a note of that in my report."

Glim smiles and salutes the Sergeant.

"If you could do me a favor, and keep all of this under wraps, it would help our investigation significantly. Good day Sergeant."

Glim turns and heads out back towards the HQ, "Hmmmm. Seems fairly straight forward. Descriptions of Maladoro's voice, the similar precise weapon marks from a fairly unique sword, and the fact that our vic was hunting Maladoro all seems to indicate that this guy is our perp. On top of that, that file seems to indicate that Maladoro is a bit of a show off, which runs with the giant M carved into our vic's chest. I figure we've gotta start poking around those taverns for our perp. We don't know much about him except that he's a bit of a playboy... I figure there's got to be some annoyed woman out there, eh? Maybe we can hunt one of them down to get more information on them.

If he's as smart as the report suggests, we probably shouldn't flash our guard insignia all over the place though or he might start catching on to what we're doing. Lets head back to HQ and update Sergeant Rayan on the situation. I want to see if they've got someone with a skill for disguises. We haven't exactly made a name for ourselves yet, but I figure every advantage we have is one our perp is denied, eh?"

By the way, I have no freaking clue what the rank system is for the Guard. Am I above Sergeant? Is this US army ranking system so I can just google it, or modern US/british police force?

[Lokio]

It's a Canadian/US system. You're a Lance Corporal, a new guy, nothing special. Sergeants are above you. However, the sergeant was willing to talk to you because you're doing an investigation.

Higgs agrees and will go with you back to Sergeant Rayan.

"What's the story, Scheppen?"

[TheDivineWind]

Ahhh, thanks! That'll make it a lot easier.

-edit-
...something just hit me, and I need to clarify some of the information I have gotten with you. The attack on the guard post and the murder of Tyndmyr, how long apart were those two events? (roughly)

"Sir, we've made some headway in the case. Our vic seems to be Tyndmyr, a mage who attacked a guard post in Old Town recently. Tyndmyr was cut by an elvan longsword. I spoke to a witness at the murder scene, and the guards at the post in Old Town. Turns out our vic entered the guard post and demanded the files on a Maladoro. He's a grey elf who apparently has a way with the ladies. Awhile back, he got snagged by a citizen who called the Watch. By the time they got there, the man had been killed with a fine slice to the throat. The weapon marks from both remains indicated an elvan long sword was used in both murders. Further, witnesses from both incidents reported the individual as having an unique, and very similar, accent. Everything we've come across suggests that Tyndmyr was tracking Maladoro. It seems he managed to find him in the market warehouse, but wasn't quick or smart enough and ended up all kinds of dead."

Glim clears his throat, "Sir, I would like to get access to a disguise artist if we've got one. I figure we could pose as a couple of mercs looking to track down Maladoro by looking after his many... female acquaintances. I figure if we ask around we'll either find Maladoro or one of his disgruntled conquests. That way he wont know the guard is on to him, and might not keep his guard up too much. I'd also like to know what resources are available if we have to take this guy down. He sounds like he's a bit above what the average Guard could handle."

[Lokio]

"Well done, Scheppen. Yes, the undercover experts can help you out. They're on the third floor and can do that sort of disguising. You may also consider finding a potion of disguise self."

[TheDivineWind]

"Thank you sir!" Glim salutes and heads upstairs. On the way, he turns to Higgs, "Higgs, do you recall when the murder happened, and when the attack on the guard post occurred?"

[Lokio]

"Yeah, the murder was two nights ago and the attack was that morning."

[TheDivineWind]

"No, I mean our vic's murder, and his attack at the post in Old Town. They occurred one right after the other, right?"

[Lokio]

"Yep. The attack was the morning, his death by our perp was the evening."

[TheDivineWind]

"Crud. That's enough time to have gone to other places and done some more research. When we were talking to the Sergeant at the post, I got the feeling he was holding back. It was bugging me for awhile as to what it was, and I thought it could have been that he had revealed something to our vic that led him right to the warehouse.

I figured that since the file on Maladoro didn't mention anything about him staying in a market warehouse, our Sergeant may of known more about Maladoro than he was leading on..."

Glim reaches the third floor and heads towards the disguise experts he was directed to. "Hello, my name is Lance Corporal Scheppen and this is Recruit Higgs. I was direct by Sergeant Rayan to come here for a disguise in order to search out our perp."

[Lokio]

Higgs is a Private, having graduated with you.

"Sure. Have a seat. What are you two looking to look like?" A narrow-eyed, lithe brunette woman sits you down as she asks.

[TheDivineWind]

Durp. I should have remembered that. -_-

"As mercs. We need to hide our identity as members of the Guard. Unidentifiable as ourselves or as members, just in case he knows which members of the guard have been looking into this case. I don't have any preference, Higgs may though."

Glim looks to Higgs and raises his eyebrows questionally.

[Lokio]

Higgs shrugs. "Give me a cool moustache twirl."

The artist does some work on you and gives you different clothes and cloaks. You look decidedly roguish now. Higgs looks cooler because he looks decidedly roguish but also has a moustache twirl. If you want a cool moustache twirl you had best request one to look as cool as your junior partner.

[TheDivineWind]

"Damn, that is a mighty fine mustache twirl you've got going on there. Miss, I do believe I would be sorely under-disguised would I to go without a mustache of similar epic levels. I do believe a large bow shaped mustache would be appropriate (a Yosemite!). Would you be so kind?"

[Lokio]

She twirls the living hell out of your moustache and you now look like Tom Sellick. You both are awesome and can go Maladoro-hunting now in style.

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/020/9/b/Tom_Sellick_by_Rick_Kills_Pencils.jpg

[TheDivineWind]

"Higgs I do believe that was one of your best ideas yet!" Glim turns to the disguise artist, "Thank you miss for your amazing skills *he gives his mustache a wiggle and waggles his eyebrows*

"We're off Higgs! Let us catch this nefarious evil-doer!" Glim leads the way off towards one of the taverns that the report identified as possible hang-outs for Maladoro.

please ignore my request for a Yosemite mustache, this is way more awesome.

[Lokio]

You both head to Old Town, looking like Magnum PI. You have three options: The Blue Lady, a classy tavern that is suspected of being a brothel; the Red Dragon, a rough-and-tumble adventurer's place; and The Fox and Firkin, a mid-level inn and tavern known for its bards.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim mutters between himself and Higgs, "Hmmm, I'm thinking The Fox and Firkin. Our perp is rumored to be a ladies man, and you don't get that sort of title in what's probably a brothel, but you definitely get the rumors, deserved or not, from a tavern full of bards."

He clears his throat and straightens his back, and then unbuttons the first three buttons on his shirt, so his chest hair shows just a bit. "Lets go find us the scoundrel who deflowered Miss Lilly. Watch my back T.C., this could get rough."

[TheDivineWind]

Glim pauses mid-step and turns to Higgs, muttering just between them, "Actually, I just had an idea. Let's use his vices against him. Lets approach as clients, and request that he pull a job for us." He pauses for a second, thinking through the plan, "Okay, we're just going to see if he is interested. Keep any specific details to ourselves, and we can offer to set up a meeting at a later date if he is interested. Dangle a hefty payoff in front of him and the prospect of future jobs if he is interested. Let me lead.

We need a prospective target to entice him though... Any suggestions? Who moves around some really high-end products around here? Somewhere difficult to break into that we would need his help in..."

[Lokio]

Higgs shrugs. You might try a gather information check.

[TheDivineWind]

How about an intelligence check since Glim has lived here for his whole life?

Int Check: [roll0]

-edit- damn, that's a nice roll. However, I had an idea and I think I'll change it around a little.


Glim grunts, fingering his mustache for ideas, "Heh, how about a small-time crime boss who wants to embarrass the Guard by breaking into one of its ranking member's homes?

I think the Sergeant is going to get a kick out of this when he finds out it'll be his place."

He motions to Higgs and heads towards the bards tavern.

[Lokio]

Int check is not appropriate. A know (local) might be but only at a high DC...

Higgs seems confused. "What are you saying we should do?"

He follows you to the tavern, which has a shingle of a fox on it. Inside, a blonde halfling is singing to the rafters:

"It's the ride of the shadow, it's the thrill of the flight
Risin' up to the challenge of of the black hooves.
And the great mountain warrior mounts his steed at midnight
And he's watchin' us all from the horn of the saddle!"


It's the eye of the tiger, it's the freedom to fight
Risin' up to the challenge of our rivals...

The song is catchy. Higgs chuckles and says, "I know this song! He's singing about one of the new Detectives who tamed an ecalypse in the middle of the Fortress courtyard a few weeks back. I don't remember the guy's name, but he's a goliath that's supposedly pretty close to the Captain."

The place is packed. This bard is apparently a big deal. You hear the crowd chant, "KI-NEED! KI-NEED!" and throw money at him as he finishes and bows.

[TheDivineWind]

"Don't worry about it, just follow my lead. We can't go talking about things to other folk right now. Anyway, lets grab a seat and some food. We've been at this all day, and we can still do what we need to do while we eat."

Glim attempts to catch the eye of the waiting staff and takes a seat at an empty table, listening to Higg's comment on the song.

"I think I remember this song too.. What was his name... something-erry... Larry? Perry? Terry? Terry! That's it, Terry. The guy must be something else, I've never met him though, just scant rumors."

Glim watches the crowd as he waits for someone to service the table, hopeful that they will stumble upon who they are looking for.

[Lokio]

You don't really know what Maladoro looks like, but a lusty wench comes by and lustily says, "Can I get you boys anything?"

[TheDivineWind]

I sort of do. A grey elf, good looking, has a thing for the ladies and figures himself some sort of Casanova of thieves. Probably quite a few people match that description, but it narrows it down quite a bit.

"I'll take a steak sandwich, and a half-pint ale." Glim waits for Higgs to order, then, to the waitress, "We're looking for someone, a grey elf, real ladies man. Would you happen to know anyone like that? Probably frequents the taverns around here."

[Lokio]

She laughs. "There's a few of them that come around. None would be much of a ladies man." She shuffles off to get the plates of food.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim gives Higgs a significant look and shrugs. They wait until the waitress comes back with the food.

"Thank you. I, I had one other question. Does the name Maladoro seem familiar to you?"

[Lokio]

She goes pale and stammers, "N-no." [Sense motive: You suspect she's probably lying.]

[TheDivineWind]

"It's okay miss, we're not looking for trouble, we just wish to speak with him. Please, can you help us?"

[Lokio]

The wench backs away. "We don't talk about Maladoro here. Least, I don't. Last girl that did... you need to talk to Jim, the bartender. Privately."

[TheDivineWind]

"Thank you miss." Glim motions to Higgs, picks up his plate and heads towards the bar looking for Jim the Bartender.

"You Jim? I need to talk to you privately."

[Lokio]

Jim grunts and brings you to the kitchen, shooing out one of his wenches who was cooking some kind of tasty-smelling stew.

"What can I do for you?"

[TheDivineWind]

"Maladoro."

[Lokio]

Jim shakes his head. "Nononononoono, not talking about him. He'll kill me."

[TheDivineWind]

"Yeah, we're getting that..." Glim pauses, realizing he will need to play the part of a thug if he's going to avoid Maladoro's suspicion.

In a cool voice, "Look Jim *Glim steps closer, getting in his face* You're in luck tonight. You don't have to tell me anything about him. You do need to pass on that we'd like to see if he is interested in a job. The way you're acting, I figure you probably see him around once in awhile.

You see him, you tell him that Thomas Magnum is representing someone who is looking to offer him a job. Got that?

*Glim steps back, straightens his clothes and clears his voice. Then he pulls a platinum coin out of his purse, grabs Jim's hand, and puts it in the palm*

That's for you in payment for your services. Make sure the message gets to him."

[Lokio]

"Okay, okay, we can do that. Thanks," he says, his face brightening as you give him a bunch of gold.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim walks back out to the bar with his plate, sits back down with Higgs, and takes his time as he eats his meal and drinks his ale, savoring the food. He spends the next few hours trying the items on the menu with Higgs.

What time of day is it?

[Lokio]

When you arrived it is 2pm. When you finish sampling items on the menu it'll be about 8pm.

Nothing happens, aside from you getting some delicious food. People come and go. Darkness begins to fall.

[TheDivineWind]

"Allright" Glim drops a few coins on the table to cover the tab, "Lets find a place to stay. I'll keep watch." They head to the nearest inn (opting for the better if the choice occurs) and get a room.

Glim surveys the room and finds a good ambush place with an open field of vision of the room. He pulls his daggers free of their sheathes and takes his time to properly hide himself.

Let me know how much all this will cost so I can deduct it from my money. As for hiding, I take 20 and set myself up as well as I can for a hide DC of 41. He keeps alert, and waits for what he expects to be a nightly visit from Maladoro.

[Lokio]

The inn costs a gold, and you stay the night. You wake up the next morning unmolested.

Higgs says, "Now what?"

[TheDivineWind]

"Lets go see a man about a spell. We need to track down a mage or a means to get a Sending out to the Boss."

As they head out, Glim leans in closer to Higgs and whispers, "We also need to find somewhere to set up shop. Until we finish this, we need to stay in character. This guy kills people for talking about him, so any hint that we're undercover might tip our hat. So we need somewhere to have the meeting that we can set up the sting at, and avoid any contact with our boss. Lets go find both."

Glim checks around town for a mage/cleric for hire, and for somewhere to set up shop.

Not sure what rolls to make for this, so I'll go with the "throw it at the wall and see what sticks" method.

Search: [roll0]
Spot: [roll1]
Gather Information: [roll2]

[Lokio]

You find a mage in the Mage Quarter who is willing to help for standard prices.

[TheDivineWind]

"Hello, I am Thomas Magnum and this is my associate, T.C.. We're looking to get a message out to a friend. Privately. Is there a way I can do that while keeping my message private?"

[Lokio]

The mage nods. "Sure, for 20% extra."

[TheDivineWind]

"Okay. I read somewhere there was a limit on how much of a message I can put through. What is it?"

[Lokio]

"25 words. It'll cost 750g."

Higgs mutters, "Why don't I just go pass a note to a Watchman in the busy Plaza? This is ridiculously priced."

[TheDivineWind]

Glim exhales, rubs his face, and replies to the mage, "Thank you." They head out of the shop and Glim turns to Higgs, "Yeah, you're right. You'd think the higher-ups would have some means of allowing their members to contact them more easily.

Okay, lets do a note then. I was hoping to avoid any means of having us traced back to HQ, but that was ridiculous."

Glim scribbles a note out and gives it to Higgs to pass off to a guard. "Allright, do that thing you do~"

The note:
To the guard that receives this note, my name is Lance Corporal Glim Scheppen of the Guard. Transport of this note directly to Sergeant Rayan at Guard HQ Immediately, as it contains information vital to a case. Please give it DIRECTLY to the Sergeant, this is extremely important.

To: Sergeant Rayan
From: Lance Corperal Scheppen
We have a lead on our suspect, and are requesting backup. Going to attempt to lead him into a trap at _________ in room ### (the inn and room we stayed at last night). If successful, we will need someone to play the part of our "boss", who is to offer Maladoro a job robbing the home of a high ranking public official. I would like to spring the trap at that meeting. Someone highly skilled in combat and tongue should be chosen to play the part of the boss, as Maladoro is unlikely to come quietly and is highly capable. I have put out word that I am looking to hire Maladoro yesterday, and we are waiting to hear back. Please send an undercover messenger to The Fox and Firkin tavern, as we will need a means to contact you after we meet with Maladoro and for you to contact us without drawing suspicion from him.

P.S. Maladoro has a thing for women, and it may cause him to lower his guard during the meeting. He is highly intelligent, and will catch on if something seems off.

[Lokio]

Higgs goes off to take the note to a guard. What do you do?

[TheDivineWind]

As Higgs leaves, Glim calls out, "Meet you back at the Fox and Firkin!"

Glim scans the area, looking for anyone that matches Maladoro's description, or who is watching him or Higgs. Assuming he doesn't spot anyone tailing him, he heads for the Fox and Firkin, keeping his eyes open for possible tails and sticking to public and highly populated areas.

[Lokio]

A woman is indeed watching you, from a third story rooftop two buildings dwon. She notices you noticing and disappears from view.

[TheDivineWind]

A woman? Hmmmm...

Glim quickly hurries after the woman by taking the streets, looking for an easy way to get up onto the roofs. He does his best to keep up with the woman, but keeps his eyes open for other suspicious individuals that seem out of place on the streets/roof tops (once he can get up there).

If the chase takes him into drastically less populated areas, or something that looks like a trap, he will slow and reconsider his actions.

[Lokio]

Taking ten, you can make it up onto the roof... but there's no woman there. Instead, a grey elf stands there, watching you from ten feet away. "Hello, Scheppen."

[TheDivineWind]

Glim grins.

Tom Selleck has failed me... ;_;


"Ahh, Maladoro, I presume. Wonderful to finally meet you." Glim gives a slight bow, keeping his eyes on the elf. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"


Glim readies a quick action to activate his chronocharm in case the elf comes at him.

[Lokio]

He shakes some blood off his blade and tosses a paper airplane at you. It's your note for the Sergeant.

"Let's play a game, Scheppen. I'm right here... but your friend is bleeding out six blocks from here in the alleyway behind the Dog's Head Grocer. He's alive, but won't be for long. But if you leave here, you'll never catch me again. I've got your face. Drop the investigation. Tell your superiors I've left town. Tyndmyr attacked the Old Town guard outpost. Why would you to bring down the man who stopped a guy who attacked the Watch?"

[TheDivineWind]

Damnit! I really wish I had level 3 invisible blade right now! This would work out so much cooler.

"Why? Well, to buy you a beer first. That mage seemed to be nothing but trouble. But then there seems to be a number of other murders I've come across that appear to be tied to you, not to mention the blood on your blade. It would be hard to ignore that."

Glim glances back behind him at the building ledge, then to the note on the ground. "Too bad though, I would have liked to see some of the ladies the sergeant would have picked...

You've got me. Well done. *Glim bows his head slightly* Until next time."

Glim turns halfway around, keeping his eyes on Maladoro and activates his chronocharm to launch himself off of the rooftop. As he does, (move action) he slips his fingers around the hilt of his glass blade and whips it (standard action) at Maladoro [roll0], barking out the full command word to spend all three charges (dmg: [roll1] + explosion: [roll2] + fire: [roll3] +(stupid lack of move action feinting that could have added 3d6!)).

As he approaches the ground he attempts to land in a way as to minimize the damage of the fall. [roll4]

[Lokio]

You don't see if you hit him, but your blade comes spinning down to you.

You take [roll0] damage from the fall. You were able to remove a d6 of damage with your tumble.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim runs as fast as he can to the alleyway where Higgs was supposed to be. The first guard he passes he slaps on the shoulder, spits out his name and rank and requests backup for a wounded member of the guard. Taking the quickest path he can figure, though avoiding obvious ambush points in underpopulated areas when he can. When Glim gets there, he looks for Higgs , and any ambushes before running into the alleyway.

[Lokio]

You find Higgs, bleeding out in the alleyway. He's looking rough.

[TheDivineWind]

"Hey Higgs, it's Scheppen. Lets get you taken care of, eh?" Glim turns back to the guard he brought along, "Do you know first aid? If not, Get A Cleric!" Glim either assists the guard or attempts to stabalize Higgs as best he can.

Heal check: [roll0]

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF FF

[Lokio]

The guard runs off to get a cleric. [roll0] high is good

You're not sure if it was your bandaging or what, but Higgs seems stable.

[TheDivineWind]

So many things to distribute my skill points into -__-

Glim keeps an eye out for an attack, but sticks with Higgs until backup and a healer arrives.

[Lokio]

The medic comes and heals Higgs enough to get him back to the Fortress.

You have the opportunity to report in and do whatever you need to do at the Fortress. Higgs is in the blocks, bedridden and being healed and counselled.

[TheDivineWind]

Instead of heading back to the HQ with Higgs, Glim finds a couple guards to follow him back to the place where he saw Maladoro. He searches the rooftop carefully, and looks for evidence of his attack and if he can trail Maladoro.

Survival: [roll0]

[Lokio]

No guards are available to come off their posts.

You find nothing useful with Survival as you don't have track. You might try spending some time doing a Search.

[TheDivineWind]

SEARCH, FOR GREAT JUSTICE.

Glim carefully searches the rooftop, taking 20 as he does for a 24.

[Lokio]

You spend an hour searching the rooftop to no avail. It's as if Maladoro was never here...

[TheDivineWind]

Maybe it was an illusion... If it was, he probably needed to be able to see it in order to control it... That might explain the woman I saw initially.

Glim looks around for a vantage point from which to watch the roof, somewhere that one could hide and still see everything that happened.


Spot: [roll0]
Search: [roll1]
Int check for one that could also possibly provide a place to ambush: [roll2]

-edit- jebus, what happened to all of those awesome rolls I was getting earlier. It's like I can't roll above 5 anymore when it counts! :smallbiggrin:

[Lokio]

You do in fact see a position across the street and up a floor that would have been optimal for that purpose - inside an inn called the Old Town Tavern. The inn, however, appears closed for renovations.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim casually looks away from the building and throws up his hands in mocked frustration.

"Damnit!" (bluff: [roll0])

Glim climbs down and meanders towards HQ. As soon as he is around the corner and out of line-of-sight of the building, he looks around carefully for someone spying on him (spot: [roll1], and dips into the _______.

What options of approach do I have for the building? Is it possible to go through a business and out a back door that leads to an adjoining alleyway?

[Lokio]

Yes.

He sees nobody spying on him and ducks into the alleyway.

[TheDivineWind]

He crouches and keeps to the shadows, moving as silently as he can as he approaches the building (hide: [roll0]; move silently: [roll1]. Glim looks for a point of entry, and looks carefully for traps or alarms at the point of entry (Take 20 search: 24).

[Lokio]

You do not find any traps on the side door. The front door is blockaded.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim thinks back to that trap in the warehouse...

Probably not going to see this one either...

He looks around at the second and third floors for an alternate point of entry.

[Lokio]

Oh my god bud, I hate this forum sometimes. If I don't post in two days, bump your thread. It probably means my subscription thing thinks I posted last.

On the third floor is a window. It looks climbable, but would be easier if you had a rope.

[TheDivineWind]

Luckly, Glim has a rope! However, he decides that it would probably make too much noise. Instead, Glim takes a moment to plan his climb. Once he is ready he takes a deep breath and quiets his mind, focusing on the silence present in the world around him, hidden behind the noise. Gathering it up to him, he feels the sensation of his ears popping without the sound of it as the bubble of silence expands beyond his body, preventing any sound from escaping the area close to him.

Glim begins his climb up, using his rope if possible to help him as long as it doesn't reach outside of his 10' bubble of silence. He moves slowly (1/2 speed, -5 DC) making sure he can make it up. (OOC: not sure what kind of bonus you'd want to add to that, if anything, but here's the roll. Climb: [roll0]

Since Glim has 6 minutes of silence, he keeps trying till he makes it, and then, before pulling himself up, he does his best to peek in (hidden) and make sure the room is clear of anyone.

Haha, okay. I figured you must have just been really busy or something. No worries!

[Lokio]

You make it to the top quietly and peek in. The room is empty but for a small envelope, placed conspicuously on a stool.

[TheDivineWind]

Cautiously, Glim moves into the room, searching it for any signs of other people while staying as hidden as he can.

[Lokio]

(You should probably roll something but I'll let you take 20.)

You see signs of numerous people. This inn is actively being worked on. The note says, Dragos Myrrh.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim reads the note!

[TheDivineWind]

Glim reads the note REALLY HARD!



(?)

[Lokio]

Glim sees the note saying 'Dragos Myrrh' and collects it. Then a dagger is thrown from the shadows at him, going wide! As he spins, he sees a man hiding there that he did not see before.

Roll initiative as the man smiles evilly at you, pulling another dagger from his belt for another attack!

I'm not back for another 3 days but you deserved this. ;)

[TheDivineWind]

"Finally!" Glim's eyes widen as he crouches slightly and draws his daggers (move). He eyes his opponent carefully, examining him for any equipment he might carry, and any detail about his opponent he can gleam. He attempts to mislead his opponent by leading him to believe Glim will leave himself open for an attack (standard bluff: [roll0]). Right as his opponent engages him, Glim cries out the command word for his armor (swift, displacement effect 5/rds), blurring and shifting his image across the area and misleading his position in an attempt to avoid any strikes and to aid his own diversionary tactics. (which should provide 50% chance to miss for his opponent's next 5 rounds of action!)

-edit-
GAHH, roll a decent number for me!

[Lokio]

OOC: Initiative? lol

[TheDivineWind]

OOC: Lawl, doh.

[roll0]

[Lokio]

OOC: Merry Christmas, mate. You go first. I'll apply the post you made.

Your feint fails, seeing as you are too far away and he rolled too high on his check at any rate. But a halfling with an eyepatch steps forward, a dagger appearing in one of his hands as he flicks his wrist to grab it off his belt and throws it at you. The blade catches you hard in the throat, hitting you for plus 3d6[/roll] sneak attack damage. His second dagger goes wide, missing you due to your displacement effect.

Please make a fortitude save as poison courses through your body.

His second dagger also strikes you in the shoulder for [roll1] damage.
removed due to displacement

[Lokio]

SA damage [roll0]

[TheDivineWind]

Glim grimaces as the dagger hits him. (fort save [roll0] ). Realizing he is outmatched, he reverses direction and dives out the window, attempting to grab the rope he used on his way up in order to slow his fall (reflex: [roll1] ), and then tumble to the ground to soften the blow (tumble: [roll2] ).

If he manages to land more-or-less safely, he uses the momentum to continue running out into the open and towards the closest guard post.

If he doesn't... hmmm, well...



Bruce Wayne: The bandit, in the forest in Burma, did you catch him?
Alfred Pennyworth: Yes.
Bruce Wayne: How?
Alfred Pennyworth: We burned the forest down.

[Lokio]

Sadly, the drow poison on the dagger causes you to fall unconscious.

You wake up some time later, bound to a chair. A man in a black suit stands before you. His dark, black hair is combed to the side and he looks very aristocratic. He is human, and he is standing next to a tray of impliments.

"You ran afoul of the wrong people, Mr. Scheppen."

[TheDivineWind]

Glim sets to working out of his bonds as covertly as he can [roll0].

"Yes, it would certainly seem that way, wouldn't it? Nice suit."

-edit-
oh for crying out loud dice roller!

[Lokio]

The man in the suit smiles slightly at you as you compliment his suit and says, "Thank you." He walks up to you and backhands you hard across the face for [roll0] points of non-lethal damage. "This, however, is not a conversation about my exceptional attire. I am the Inquisitor. And I have a few questions for you. Do you understand?" He shows you a very interesting impliment, a scalpel that looks like it has a pair of little needles running up the side of it. "Are you familiar with this device, Mr. Scheppen?"

[TheDivineWind]

"Not a clue. Back to the clothes however, who made that for you?"

-edit-
OOC: Is everything bound to the chair? What about my legs? Merry christmas to you as well! Hope everything went well~

[Lokio]

Merry Xmas! You're bound by your hands and legs to the chair. Your escape artist check failed.

The man smiled and ran the scalpel lightly across your cheek. You feel an INCREDIBLE agony spread through the little cut as the needles run across it; there's something on the needle that makes it burn so hard, and you scream against your will.

"Any other stupid questions?"

[TheDivineWind]

Glim grunts and cries out in pain, waiting for it to subside. After a bit, he manages to get out, "Yeah... *pant* ...Would you consider yourself more of a spring, or an autumn person? I fancy myself a summer sort of guy, but you strike me as an autumn. Something about leaves falling and associated poems rings true to me when I look at you."

[TheDivineWind]

Glim attempts to escape his bonds again, once enough time has passed.

[roll0]

[Lokio]

You manage to slip your bonds as the man runs the blade along the inside of your leg, terrifyingly close to your business, doing [roll0] points of lethal damage and making you make a will save.

[TheDivineWind]

Will save: [roll0]

While the man's attention is on his work, Glim grabs at his other hand and yanks on it, using a move he picked up from Corporal Payne back in training, often used to pull the target off-balance and knock them onto their back.

Trip attack: [roll1]

Assuming it works, he uses the opportunity to grab the knife the man was using and uses it (for his free attack, if you'll allow the slight shake-up in the order of actions) against the man, digging into him as hard as he can (or going for a soft spot if possible). If not, he just tries to get free and grab a sharp implement from the table.

[TheDivineWind]

Bah, forgot to do the opposed STR check. [roll0]

-edit-
screw you dice roller. We're through. No more love for you.

[Lokio]

You fail a will save to avoid becoming shaken. You now take a -2 penalty on all actions.


The Inquisitor is shocked that you came undone with such skill, but his blocks your sweeping leg with his own and stabs at you, striking you in the chest for [roll0] lethal damage. Make another will save.

He also yells, "The prisoner is loose! Get in here!"

[TheDivineWind]

Glim hears the man start shouting and barks out the command to envelope the area with a bubble of silence.

Instead of continuing the battle, he rushes out of the room at top speed, knife in hand and smashes into the door after unlashing it to either knock back anyone on the other side or surprise whoever might be there for a chance at freedom.

[Lokio]

You have no knife. Your gear has been taken from you. As well, on his turn he shouted; they heard. Your contingent action to grab something off the impliment tray did not yet happen. You may wish to reconsider your action.

[TheDivineWind]

OOC: Damnit... is there a window in the room, any other way out, or any fire?

[Lokio]

OOC: One door. You're captured and in a cell of some kind.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim makes a run for the door, throwing it open and bolting through it, looking for an opening to the outside to leap/dive out of. (Full round action, move to run and standard or swift to open the door?)

[Lokio]

The cell is locked. The Inquisitor looks at you and shakes his head. "Wow, you must really be dumb if you think there's anywhere to go. Sit down and be still, boy, we haven't finished talking."

Make a will save.

[TheDivineWind]

Will save: [roll0]

[Lokio]

You find yourself under the effect of a suggestion that forces you back into the chair. He casts another spell on you. Make a will save.

[TheDivineWind]

Will: [roll0]

[Lokio]

You find yourself locked into place by a hold person spell. He affixes manacles to each of your limbs and chains you to the chair. "Now, enough of that. We have questions, and you will answer, or you will enjoy the pleasure of my knife."

He gave you an eerie grin.

[TheDivineWind]

Glim stares straight forward, struggling against the mental bonds.

[Lokio]

He releases you from the spell and says, "Good lord, Scheppen. Just answer the questions and you might live to see the sun again." He flicks the agony flenser against you and incredible pain flows through you once more. "If I have to begin administering drugs to make you talk, it's going to hurt even more. Now, tell me, why are you so intent on finding Maladoro?"

[TheDivineWind]

Glim looks the man in the eyes questioningly, "I've got to start somewhere. Lot of killing going on these days."



(OOC: Lesson of the day, learn to pass something off to your superiors when it's over your head. Guess what mistake I wont easily be making again, assuming I make it out of here alive... :smallbiggrin: )

[Lokio]

Not over your head. You're ok.

The man chuckled. "Isn't that the truth? Who is Maladoro?"

[TheDivineWind]

As Glim talks with the man, he attempts to work his way out of his manacles without alerting the investigator.
[roll0]

"The man who killed Tyndmyr, and a suspect in a number of other murders."

[Lokio]

You fail to make any headway with the manacles, but he sees you doing it and smiles. "If you keep doing that, I'm going to slash your spinal cord and paralyze you from the neck down. I don't need you moving, just talking."

[TheDivineWind]

Glim sighs loudly, "Fiiiine."

He looks at the man, waiting.

[Lokio]

"Yes, his crimes I know, but who IS he? That's what I need you to answer."

You get the sense he's referring to a deeper background.

[TheDivineWind]

"Not much. He is notorious in the area. Known as a ladies man and a murdering burglar. . ." Glim pauses, judging the man.

"I don't know much else, but I suspect a number of things..."

[Lokio]

"What do you suspect?"

[TheDivineWind]

"His training and skill. That's not something one tends to learn on their own. So he probably has connections. To the thieves guild or someone else, I don't know. I couldn't say for sure if he is even associated with them anymore. What is clear is that he operates according to his own preferences rather than to those of whoever he associates with, which makes him a deal more dangerous."

Glim pauses, "Mind if I ask a question?"

[Lokio]

The man listened attentively to what Glim was saying, and said, "You may. This is a conversation."

[TheDivineWind]

Glim pauses for a second, choosing his words, "Am I correct in assuming that you're with that organization?"

[Lokio]

"You are not, if the thieves guild was who you referred to."

[TheDivineWind]

OOC: Crap, it never updated my user CP listing. Sorry about that.

"The guild was only a possibility." Glim pauses, "So I suppose I stumbled upon your recovery team, then."

[Lokio]

"You definately stumbled on something, Lance Corporal. Maladoro didn't just kill that mage. He's responsible for the deaths of at least thirty-six people in the city. Some affluent. Some dirt poor. Some magical. Some not. He'll show himself, but put you in some dilemma, like you with your bleeding out partner. Yeah, we saw."

He sighed. "You need to tell me what you know about him. Everything. You do that, I'll let you go. Perhaps we can even help each other."

[TheDivineWind]

Glim chews on his cheek a bit, studying the man in front of him. "You've got an odd way to go about things. Instead of just saying you're trying to take this guy down, you torture me for information." He pauses to think of those implications...

"Yeah, I can help you with the case... if you can help me. I'd like to know who the other victims are. There is a lot going on in town, and it would be useful to the department if I could close a number of active cases. Any information or details that could tie these murders to Maladoro would be useful as well. Especially considering the way you've dealt with me, I think it would be safe to assume you would prefer to be left out of any official investigation. 'Stumbling' upon his body at the end of this would help tie a bow on this for the Guard as well. This works to your advantage as well, as there wont be anyone looking deeper into the cases."

"I'd also like to know more about your group, but that is apart from the exchange of information."


OOC edit: Damn you are an awesome GM, keeping up with this thread~ <3

[Lokio]

Sorry mate, I've been burned out for months on DMing, especially since my PC was shelved for being too powerful. I'm now rolling again on GITP, but if you want, I can arrange for a DM transfer.

The man chuckled. "You've got that right. We're ghosts, Scheppen. We don't exist, and nobody would believe you if you tried to say we did. We took you because you could easily be a spy." An ominous statement, indeed. "We do what the Crown needs done. And what we want is Maladoro's journal, and preferably, him dead. He's an agent of the Empire of Seven Dragons. Do you know what that is?"

[TheDivineWind]

Oh man, sorry for the confusing text. I've been out for nearly as long! I didn't even know you were out. I was thanking you for still responding to my thread! :smallbiggrin:

Glim eyes the man curiously with his announcement of their connection to the crown. "No" he drags the word out as his mind returns to the topic at hand, "No, can't say I do. My investigation was limited to the area. All I found was a hideout of his."

[Lokio]

"The Empire's a nearby state. A very bad state. A state of very bad people who want to do very bad things to this state. And sometimes that state sends state agents. And they do things for their state that are bad for the state of our state. Capiche?"