A Dagger in the Dark [IC]

[ZeroNumerous]

City of Cork, Desmond County

Shining steel pieces lay scattered amongst the grass. Nearby, a pig-nosed man in his mid twenties sat slumped against a tree nursing a wound in his stomach. His fellow soldiers lay on the ground nearby. Some of his compatriots still gasped for breath, while others had started to grow cold in the crisp November air. All of them were bleeding out their heart's blood onto the uncaring earth beneath them. The man had been handsome once, until a blow to the skull decorated his face with his own blood. His brown hair clung to his skull matted down by his blood, and a throbbing pain caused him to contort his face into a twisted mask of suffering. A shadow falls over the man, and he raises his head to squint through the blood in his eyes. A boy--barely older than eighteen--stands over him with a naked sword pointed at the fallen soldier.

"W-Why", the man gasps up at his attacker, "w-why did you...?"

The boy gives the dying man a stern gaze. "Don't blame me. Blame yourself. Or God." The man's chest makes a sickening crunch as the boy drives his blade into the dying man. A hard twist ends what little remains of the man's life, and the boy pulls his sword free with a bit of effort. The boy wipes his blade off on the clothing of one of the dead soldiers, then sheathes his sword and starts walking toward the south.

DM

Peace is a far off dream for people in an age where Emperors fight for dominance. But for the men and women of the Redhand: There could be no peace so long as enemies of the Empress drew breath. The young Empress had called for a grand royal hunt, and tasked her Master of the Hunt for preparing the royal hunting grounds. But, as with all traveling done by the Empress, a small group of Redhand traveled just a day ahead to serve as the scouting vanguard of her entourage. A month prior a group of five were dispatched in order to secure the castle of Dunasead, close by the royal wood, and ensure the loyalty of the Earl of Desmond: Nigel Mowbray.

Unfortunately, those Redhands did not return. And, equally unfortunately, the Empress forged ahead with the idea of going on a royal hunt. In part to send a message to her vassals that she was not unwilling to do messy work, but probably to also get out of the castle and away from the smothering maids.

The Empress' royal procession now traveled south from the Royal Estate at Bunratty down to Dunasead Castle. The group of Redhands who were dispatched to safeguard her on the trip were now traveling just a day ahead.

Early in the morning you travel down the road to Dunasead. The morning had started as many normal mornings do: Sleeping outside, with your sword nearby and at the ready. It looked ready to maintain normality all the way up to Dunasead. That is, until your attention is drawn off the road by an odd sight. Just a few hundred feet away from the road stands a tall tree. Many of its leaves are gone, but a scant few cling to their branches. However, the tree is not the odd sight. Rather, it's the small gathering of bodies at the base of the trunk that draws the eye.

Two elves, a half-orc, and two humans lay scattered in a loose circle in front of the tree. Both elves and humans had been rolled onto their backs and obviously had their pockets emptied. One of the elves had even been partially stripped of clothing and armor. All of them but the stripped elf wore ratty leather armor, and had a few swords laying in the grass beside them. The half-orc member of the group sat with his back against the tree, and dried blood decorated his chest. The half-orc had decayed a good deal, just like the other bodies, but wore a shirt of steel chainlink rather than leather. He didn't look like he was touched or moved. His longsword, coated in dried blood, lay near his right hand.

Potential Skill Checks:
Search Check DC 11
You find the faint outline of the Imperial Seal branded onto the half-orc's right hand.

Know: Local DC 13
You recognize the remains of the half-orc as those of Neil, the leader of the Redhand group sent to Dunasead to secure it before the Empress made her appearance.

Survival DC 11
You realize you're about a six hour walk away from Dunasead, and thus from the place where the Empress would be staying.

Craft: Weaponsmithing or Heal or Martial Lore DC 15
The half-orc looks like he was killed by a heavy slashing weapon of some sort. Like a bastard sword or battle axe. The humans and elves looked to have been killed with a lighter slashing weapon, like a handaxe or longsword.

Survival DC 15
They look to have been dead for about three weeks or so.

[Bad Situation]

Tristan sighs bitterly as his contingent makes their way through the countryside. He slumps on his horse slightly, blowing a few tufts of hair out of his face as they amble onward. Disappeared Redhands and a frighteningly young Empress in power. What was the Empire coming to? He picks himself up from the back of his horse and works out the cricks in his neck, stifling a yawn as he rises. Mairead would have handled it differently. Better, no doubt. He wasn't entirely sure about the 'hows' of the matter but then, it was not as though he was the one sitting on the throne. He lifts up his left, gloved hand and holds it up into the light, staring intently as the back of it. "Loyalty. Messy business, that."

He stops suddenly when the bodies come into sight. A frown works its way into his expression and his cocky, glazed over expression gives way into one of dour rigidity. "Right then. Time for work."

Heaving himself off his horse, Tristan dusts himself off and closes in toward the scene of the murder. Bending down he sifts through the various clues in order to get a feel for the situation. With a tried hand he lifts the half-orc's right hand and frowns at the sight. "A member of the order simply cut down..." Stopping, he turns away from the body and looks up toward the direction he knows Dunasead is in, "...and so close too. There is trouble ahead if it is not already afoot."

He reaches over to grab at the sword and then pushes on his knees to stand to his full height finally addressing the others of his merry little band. "I've little investigative ability myself but to me it is clear as day that something has run afoul of these woods. The Empress must be warned in short order but what say we push ahead further. With her guards about she is safer in her procession than she is without but we cannot say the same about the potential peril ahead. We might head back to inform her of this Redhand's death and strengthen the core of her guard but in doing so we will idling in the face of the dangers that may come to beset her at Dunasead." With his case thus spoken, Tristan waits for the others to come to a decision. His argument was tempered with the boredom borne of scouting duty to be sure but there was truth in his words as well. Letting the Empress' procession fall into a trap would be the height of folly, and any deaths that occurred would be on their own neglectful hands.

Skill Checks in Order
Search: Take 10 for 11.
Know (Local): Untrained
Survival: Take 10 for 11.
Martial Lore: [roll0]
Survival: [roll1]

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Tristans little band numbered at just four including himself.

Renauriel "Rena" Talvir, the groups tracker, was a house-elf before joining the Redhands. She stood just behind Tristan garbed in simple leather armor and wearing the clothing of a hunter beneath that. Her thin black hair is kept in a ponytail that hangs across one shoulder. Her face is calm despite the scene of obvious violence. Tristan had worked with her before on an assassination mission. She was calm, precise, and most importantly: Reliable. Her longbow is tucked away somewhere in her saddlebags, in order to avoid keeping it strung all the time and damaging the bow. She's drawn a short bow she keeps in a holster attached to her saddle. It was kept stringed and prepared while the group traveled, so she could fight from horseback. When Tristan details his plan, Rera just shrugs. "I think we should leave a note at least, but besides that... These men have been dead for three weeks at least. Ain't a lot of men that can wait in ambush for three weeks." With that said she places her shortbow back into its holster, then climbs aboard her white-haired destrier. The horse was an expensive one, and unnecessarily drew the attention of thieves or nobles. Nonetheless, Rena always refused to get rid of it for another one.

Behind Rena stood Yenros Shortcloak, a halfling with an annoying voice. Tristan had never met the man prior to this mission, but he had a tendency to hum. He wore the same style of leather armor as Rena, and carried a well oiled light crossbow. He seemed to know his way around it fairly well, or at least treated the machine with obvious love. The tiny halfling is bald, but robust in size. He's already gotten his crossbow out and loaded it, all without getting out of the saddle of his riding dog. "Well, I know that's Neil. So I think we should go to the city and start asking questions. No sense in waiting for the Empress to show up and letting her get bolted by some assassin, no?" Yenros stows his crossbow once Rena confirms that the men had been dead for some time.

Bringing up the rear was Dorota, a middle-aged woman who never gave a last name, and she's already got her hand on her hilt. Her black gelded hobby held her wait with some effort. She bore an aging breastplate, and didn't speak much of her history. Tristan had never worked with her either, but Yenros spoke highly of her skills with the silvery-white longsword hanging off her hip. She bore a black-and-white shield with some heraldry on it. A black eagle carrying a snake in its claws stood out on a white field. Dorota didn't talk about the heraldry, or where it came from, but the shield had obvious value to her. Her black hair, telling of a potential spanish heritage, was pulled back into a ponytail that just hung down her back. She just frowns when Tristan suggests abandoning their duty. "Too much risk. We should return and report."

With everyone weighing in, Rena looked to Tristan. "Your call then. Do we go forward, or do we got back?"

[Bad Situation]

Tristan scoffs, running a gloved hand through his dark locks as he looks over the band with his trademark smirk. "Mark my words Rena, the day ultimate authority falls onto my lap is the day the Britannian Empire burns down to the ground. Ah, don't tell the little Empress I said that. She isn't like to enjoy my musings, I don't think." He says nothing else as he calmly saunters back to his own courser, taking the time to stretch out the cricks in his neck and back as he does so. However, as soon as the laze-about warrior sits astride the dark-coated stallion, he gets a sharp glint to his eyes and suddenly it is all business. "I should not have to say this to you, Dorothea but our immediate duty is always to the safety and assurance of the Throne. Our Empress will understand it if certain circumstances require us to temporarily abandon our posts." He grips Neil's longsword, caked with blood and all, and tosses it toward Dorota with a lazy but sharp flick of the wrist. "Certain circumstances that caused the death of a member of the Redhand."

He guides his horse away and calls for the elven woman, once again in his playful, flitting voice. "Rena, take the lead. I will take comfort in seeing to your backside as we ride." Then he stops his horse entirely and addresses the woman curtly, "Ride forth with us or see to the safety of our Empress's procession. I cannot tell you how to do your duty."

He kicks at the courser's sides and directs the horse forward as soon as he says this and is quick to call out from behind him, "Regardless of your decision, I am tasking with writing the note! Good luck!"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Dorota scowls. "I do not agree with this course of action."

Yenros turns his dog around to look toward Dorota. "What if whoever killed Neil over there got the rest of the lads sent out this way? Or worse: Someone found them out about them. Best to get this all sorted out before Milady gets herself killed, no?"

The middle-aged woman frowns at Yenros, but nods all the same. Rena had already started on the note while Yenros was convincing Dorota. It was likely written in some sort of code, and she was busy carving it into the side of one of her arrows. She dismounts with the arrow in hand, moves over to the scene of carnage, then picks out one of the bodies and drags it away. She flips the body over--a young human boy with a deep gash across the throat--then fires her arrow straight into his throat. From a distance, it just looks like he was shot in the throat and died. But close up, one can easily tell that the arrow has been carved with an intricate pattern. With that done, Rena remounts then takes point.

Yenros falls in line, humming a tune that Tristan doesn't recognize, and Dorota falls in as the rearguard.

Spot/Listen checks, please.

Rena
[roll0]
[roll1]

Dorota
[roll2]
[roll3]

Yenros
[roll4]
[roll5]

[Bad Situation]

A thin smile creeps into Tristan's expression and his eyes narrow in anticipation. He draws his longsword, kicking his horse into a canter, and pushes forward to sidle along Rena. If he could hear the battles from here then there was little doubt in his mind that Rena had similar thoughts. "Sounds like they're having fun. Would you like me to 'investigate' or do you not trust me to join in?" His smile breaks out into a cheeky grin, clearly reminiscing about the other times he'd been 'forced' to 'intervene' in matters.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Rena frowns. "It sounds like bandits. While it's sad, it's also not our problem. The Empress needs us."

"Come on Rena. We can't just walk away. Someone might get killed you know?" Yenros starts heading toward the sound without any further discussion. Rena sighs and shakes her head, while Dorota starts heading off to catch up to Yenros.

She turns back slightly. "We can't let him go on his own. He might get killed." Rena looks toward Tristan.

"And you want an excuse to stab people, right? This is a waste, but we're safer together than not." With that said, Rena falls in line with Dorota and Yenros.

Sol'deth

Just three weeks ago you had been traveling with Neil and two other Redhands. Everything was fine and dandy, but then you split up to investigate the city. A week went by without any word from Neil or the others, and that was followed up by a strongarm catching you off-guard in an alleyway. Luckily you were more skilled, or else you'd be dead. Of course, you preserved your life by going to ground when you did. You almost made it out of the city without incident, but a fire drew your attention elsewhere.

So now you're here and standing in front of a young child aiming to protect him from eight vagabonds. The enemy are wearing ratty leather armor and bear a variety of weapons. Each one is a scruffy and lean ruffian who has obviously never had a full meal in his entire life, let alone set foot in a proper dining hall. Behind the ruffians stands the former home of the boy behind you. It produced a warm red glow against the morning sky as the fires set by your enemy consume it completely. Whatever family the young man had were likely inside and definitely dead. The lead bandit steps forward, gesturing with his chipped handaxe toward the young man at your back.

"Alright stranger. Me and me mates outman ya, so dun go gettin' any plans in dat thick skull o' yours, keen? Just 'and da lad over, and ya can go on your merry way. We ain't got a quarrel lest ya make one, see?"

One on one with any one of them would most definitely end in your favor, but eight on one only ended well for the one in legends and story books.

DM

Luckily for Sol'deth he's not completely alone. A group of rather well armed individuals--a young human male, a middle-aged human female, a female elf, and a male halfling--walk into view.

Rena looks at Sol'deth and the brown-haired young human boy behind him, then turns her attention toward Tristan and the others. "Well, you wanted to be knights in shining armor, so get to it."

Yenros shouts toward Sol'deth and the boy. "Are you two alright?!"

Meanwhile, the leader of the ruffians just sighs and shakes his heads. "Well damn... Looks like we've got too many peepers around lads. One elf's story can be ignored, but... two 'umans? Too much, much too much. Time for some wetwork boys. Don't leave none of 'em breathin'."

Dorota draws her sword and dons her shield while the bandit leader talks. She doesn't say anything, but it's obvious that there's no talking their way out of this situation.

http://i.imgur.com/Zl4jcAa.png

Legend:
Tristan - Purple
Sol'deth - Burgundy
The boy - Pink
Rena - Dark Green
Yenros - Dark Orange
Dorota - Dark Gray
Enemies - Yellow

Dark brown - The house
Light blue - Watering hole
Brown - Farm
Green - Grass
Red splotches - Fire

Tristan and Sol'Deth need initiative checks.

Rena - [roll0]
Yenros - [roll1]
Dorota - [roll2]

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Yenros steps forward, and his humming grows louder. "Come on, it's just like when ole King Arthur happened upon some kind of misdeed. He'd just stab the perpetrators with his sword, then be on his merry way." Yenros' story telling fills his companions with magical strength.

The bandits rush toward Sol'deth. Two of them charge directly for him, while the others fan out in an attempt to get to the boy behind the elf.

http://i.imgur.com/MWSXvn9.png

Legend: Hasn't changed.

Yenros moves 30ft forward as his move action, then uses Bardic Music: Inspire Courage. All of his allies gain a +2 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +2 morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls.

Bandit #4 charges Sol'deth
Attack Roll: [roll0] - vs Sol'deth's AC of 16(due to being flat-footed). Hits.
Damage Roll: [roll1] - Sol'deth takes no damage due to his armor.

Bandit #5 also charges Sol'deth
Attack Roll: [roll2] - [Miss]
Damage Roll: [roll3]

Bandits 1-3 and 6-8 move 30ft closer and ready actions.

[Bad Situation]

Tristan chortles mischievously as he steps forward, irresponsibly dragging his longsword along the ground without much regard for the danger in question. "A knight in shining armor. Perish the thought. You do the men in her royal service great injustice by comparing them to my ilk." Smirking dangerously now, he charges forward and brings his blade to bear, assaulting the nearest bandit with the fullness of his being.

Charging Power Attack (-2): [roll0]
-- Damage: [roll1]
-- Move-to: SE' Diagonal of Bandit 1

[Eurus]

It had been, to put it briefly, a rough few weeks. He'd suffered the indignity of being assaulted by a common thug, and absolutely ruined his favorite pair of gloves in that fire.

Thankfully, it seemed like his luck was starting to turn around, as he saw four others approaching to help. Grinning, he waved his free hand in greeting at them, barely turning back around in time to avoid injury from the charging bandits. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices one of the men charge a bandit and... utterly fail to even make contact.

So, not that lucky, perhaps. Still, the more the merrier. Stepping back, he fires a shot toward the fifth man's face and calmly reloads, while doing his best to dodge.

"You've made an unwise decision, I'm afraid."

5-foot step west, fire crossbow at bandit #5 (provoking AoO from bandit #4), move action to reload. If it hits, will spend inspiration on damage.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The bandit near Sol'deth attacks when he sees his opening, but he's utterly unable to save his friend. Sol'deth fires his bolt clean through his attacker's throat, and kills one of the men outright.

Rena moves over to Yenros, takes aim, and fires at one of the men trying to flank Sol'deth. Her arrow penetrates the man's leather armor with ease, and he drops like a sack of potatoes.

Dorota charges forward to help Tristan, but the bandit fighting them seems a good deal more skilled than his friends as he successfully evades both Tristan and Dorota.

The boy behind Sol'deth runs, and Yenros shouts to him. "Get over here lad! I'll keep you safe." The boy stays near the halfling.

Yenros raises Luna, takes aim, and fires the crossbow at one of the bandits approaching Sol'deth. Unfortunately he misses by a mile, and that causes the halfling to stare at his crossbow incredulously. "Now's not the time to be temperamental darling!"

The bandits throw themselves into the attack. Two of them join their comrade attacking Tristan; one of them swings at Dorota, while the other two attack Tristan himself. The remaining bandits charge at Sol'deth, while the bandit who had swung at him earlier moves around to flank him. Unfortunately Sol'deth doesn't have a more agile weapon, and the bandit is able to skirt by without any danger.

http://i.imgur.com/94WbIeE.png

Legend: Hasn't changed.

Rena shoots at #8. She hits and kills him.

Dorota charges #1. She misses.

Yenros shoots at #5 and misses.

Bandit #1 swings at Tristan

Attack Roll: [roll0] - [Miss]
Damage Roll: [roll1]

Bandit #2 charges Tristan

Attack Roll: [roll2] - [Miss]
Damage Roll: [roll3]

Bandit #3 charges Dorota

Attack Roll: [roll4] - [Miss]
Damage Roll: [roll5]

Bandit #4 moves around behind Sol'deth. He does not provoke because Sol'deth does not threaten the area around him. He attacks Sol'deth, but does not benefit from flanking.

Attack Roll: [roll6] - [Miss]
Damage Roll: [roll7]

Bandit #5 charges Sol'deth

Attack Roll: [roll8] - [Miss]
Damage Roll: [roll9]

Bandit #6 also charges Sol'deth. He benefits from flanking with #4.

Attack Roll: [roll10] - [Miss]
Damage Roll: [roll11]

[Eurus]

Sol'deth chuckles in satisfaction as a second guard falls to one of the women's arrows, and the boy successfully flees to a safer spot. Gracefully weaving between strikes, the elf skips to one side and fires again.

5-foot step northwest, fire at Bandit #6, reload. If attack hits, inspiration for damage.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Bad Situation]

Tristan easily sidesteps the clumsy charge, turning the bandit's momentum to the side with a well-placed sword stroke. Finding a perilous gap in the man's defenses he drives in with vigor, seeking to separate the man's head from his shoulders.

Power Attack (-1): (1d20+7)[22]
-- Damage: [roll0]
-- Target: Bandit 2

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The bandit Tristan attacked tries to duck, but he does so too late and only succeeds in getting Tristan's sword in his face instead of his neck. He's joined by three more of his friends as the arrows and bolts of Sol'deth, Rena, and Yenros fly swift and true. Unfortunately Dorota is less lucky as she swings at one of the newcomers and misses.

The remaining two bandits immediately try to withdraw from the battle. They only make it sixty feet, and are still within running distance of either Tristan or Dorota. And, of course, still well within range for any of the archers. If neither Tristan nor Sol'deth make a move to stop them, then Rena and Yenros take their shots on the fleeing bandits.

The remaining two bandits are 60ft north of Tristan, and can be charged by Tristan or shot at by Sol'deth. If neither of you take actions to kill them, then Rena and Yenros take their shots.

Rena attempts to attack #1
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Yenros attempts to attack #1 as well, or #3 if Rena is successful.
Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

[Eurus]

Almost leisurely, Sol'deth advances and fires another shot at one of the runners.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Bad Situation]

Tristan roils over in good humor as the blade cuts through bandit flesh, savoring the meaty resistance as he slices across the man's face. He watches them duck away from the melee with a faint sense of amusement tugging at his lips. Routed and clearly outmatched they at least had the sense to flee. "Good, their brains are good for self-preservation if nothing else." But they had something to answer for. What exactly did six men want with a child anyway? Besides the obvious reasons of course. In any case he would see to their end personally.

Holding his sword high, he breaks into a firm charge and chases after the fleeing bandit, shifting his grip at the last moment to swing with the flat of his blade.

Nonlethal Charge: [roll0]
-- Damage: [roll1]
-- Target: Bandit #1

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The elf, halfling, and their human friend just watch as Tristan and Sol'deth finish off the runners. Rena is the first to speak. "Alright, if your bloodlust is sated, we have a city to get to." The elf woman shoulders her longbow as she admonishes Tristan, and turns to leave when she's finished. With that said Rena starts walking back to where the group left their horses.

Dorota looks to Yenros, and the halfling turns his attention to Sol'deth. "Sorry about her. She's just a bit of a stick in the mud. You handled yourself pretty well in that fight." Yenros places his crossbow into an obviously self-designed sling hanging off his back. "Are you two going to be okay from here on out? We're going toward Cork, if you need someone to hang around and make sure bandits don't attack you again."

The middle-aged warrior woman speaks up. "The kid will slow us down Yenros. As worried as I am for their safety, we can't exactly bring them with us."

[Eurus]

Sol'deth shrugs at Rena's comment. "It was a public service, no?"

Yenros's comment gets a grin, then a thoughtful nod. "I'm not entirely sure what to do with the kid. I'm a little rushed, at the moment -- I was supposed to be meeting up with a few people in Dunasead."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Yenros shrugs. "Dunasead is a bit far off, ya? We're only going as far as Cork, but we can at least go that far. I'm sure ole Tristan doesn't mind, right?"

The halfling nudges Tristan, as if prompting him to get on his side. Rena had already left, and thus didn't have a vote in the matter. Dorota had already made her opinion about leaving them behind known. So he needed at least one other person on his side to override her.

[Bad Situation]

Tristan simply leers at Rena's retreating form and calls out, "Given that my bloodlust is the reason I am in the Empress' service, I seriously hope not." He brushes off the halfling's nudge but nods along regardless. "The more the merrier," he says with faux-cheer, directing a half-smile at the young boy, "and perhaps the child can tell us why exactly those bandits saw fit to coordinate an attack against such a small boy and his family."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The boy, who couldn't be older than seven or eight, looks at Tristan with fear plainly ruling his face. "I saw them. I saw them hurt a man. They hurt him real bad, and then tried to hurt me too. But I ran as hard as I could so I got away."

[Eurus]

Sol'deth nods and falls in step alongside Tristan and the others. "That sounds rather awful. When and where was it?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The boy looks at Sol'deth, then toward the sky as he does some mental calculations. After a moment he looks back down and says; "Um... A long time ago."

[Bad Situation]

Tristan blanches at the non-answer and runs a hand through his hair as he sighs out bitterly. "And what exactly was it that you saw? Even the most depraved of men would not single out your family for something so rudimentary." Well, most men at any rate. There were some twisted individuals out there. He was one of them even! When they reach the horses he gestures to the elf, "Where's your horse, elf? If it's nowhere near here you'll be riding with me. Yenros, the child rides with you. See to it that he is cared for. And no, not in your usual way."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The young boy repeats what he saw again. Yenros shrugs. "Do you remember what the man looked like?"

The boy nods. "Uh-huh. He looked tall, and had an ugly face like a pig. And a scar on his face. They hurt him real bad." Both Tristan and Sol'deth recognize that description as the description of Neil the Redhand, which meant the bandits were likely involved in some plot.

By the time they reaches the horses Rena is already there and mounted up. When Tristan barks out orders, Yenros just raises his hands defensively. "Now now... It wasn't my fault that barmaid was actually some noble's daughter. I was far too drunk to notice the difference."

Rena looks at the new elf and the boy. "So we're bringing them with us now? We're doing things dangerous for a young boy, you know."

[Bad Situation]

Tristan mounts his courser with a sense of purpose in his limbs, flippantly waving away Rena's concerns. "Well, the circumstances have changed. And regardless, he has seen dangerous things for a young boy. Things that now mark him as a potential target for the person behind Neil's death." The young man waits for the Sol'Deth to take saddle before kicking his horse into action. "It is as I expected. Something has run afoul in Dunasead and I would see to it that the Empress is not beset by these forces, political or no." His face sets into an annoyed grimace as he contemplates the circumstances. "Neil was a seasoned hand of the Empress. Even taking into account the advantage of surprise those bandits should not have been capable of such a clean job. Five members of the Redhand simply murdered in cold blood? By a team of ill-trained bandits? Unlikely. But if the scoundrels were backed by a more...adequate contingent of warriors..."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Rena shrugs. "As long as you take care of your pet human, then I have no further objections to bringing him. However, we need to hurry along to Cork. The Empress' entourage will head there after getting our note, so we'll need to meet her there." With that said the raven-haired elf woman turns her destrier toward Cork and sets off at a trot.

Yenros has the boy riding in front of him. He starts following Rena, and while on the way he looks toward the Tristan and shrugs. "Is she always like that? All pins and needles and no fluff, I mean."

Dorota pipes up from the back. "Probably isn't a fan of humans. Lots of elves aren't", she turns to Sol'deth, "no offense meant. Your lot has gotten the short of the stick as of late."

With that said, Yenros brings up the elephant in the room. "So, how did a bunch of idiots with swords kill ole Neil? They lacked the skill or strength to actually harm even little ole me, but Neil's as dead as the day is long."

[Eurus]

Sol'deth is quiet for a moment, absorbing the exchange before eventually speaking up. "...No offense taken. More relevantly, Neil's dead? Hell. I'm not sure whether that makes me cursed or blessed."

"I was traveling with that group, up to a few weeks ago. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was sidetracked. I'd say I've had a rough few weeks in the meanwhile, but clearly not as rough as theirs."

The elf shakes his head and sighs. "Tristan's right, though. I doubt these brutes did it themselves, even in ambush. At a guess, they might have been hired to bolster the ranks of whoever actually carried the attack, as backup and perhaps a diversion. If it was politically motivated, they might have wanted to cloak their own involvement behind common thugs."

[Bad Situation]

Tristan looks down at the halfling and chortles amusedly, "She's very...business-like you could say. Reliable too, if a tad...wound up about things. But then, girls like that are always more fun to unravel when it comes down to it..." When the conversation turns toward Neil and the fate of the half-orc's team, Tristan's good-natured frown darkens suitably. "Sol'Deth has the right of it, I'm afraid. It appears as though Dunasead is not as secure as I would have liked it to be."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Yenros shrugs. "Seems like it. So what's the plan? Go to the castle in Cork and stab people until things make sense? And what about the kid?"

[Bad Situation]

Tristan simply shrugs, leaning forward in the saddle as he props his fist against his chin in contemplation. "Well...that is my usual mode of operations but in this case, I feel that Rena and the Empress especially would take a certain kind of ...displeasure if I simply killed the castle inhabitants. What a chore." He spares a glance at the child and smirks, "Not much left for him is there? We could kill him now and nobody would care. Fortunately, I am above such degenerate conduct."

There is a brief pause following this statement as Tristan frowns. "Sol, I am leaving the matter of the boy's fate to you. I suddenly realize that I am not qualified to be speaking of conduct and the like. If you have no idea, send him to the Empress. I'm sure little Nuala would not mind a male playth-playmate."

[Eurus]

Sol'deth raises an eyebrow, and chuckles. "You think too highly of me. Considering that his testimony is apparently of little use, I'd hand him over to the nearest monastery, but I suppose he's a bit old for that. I can't predict what will or won't catch the amusement of the Empress's household, but I suppose we can try turning him over. They might raise him as a servant, I suppose, which is a better life than many can boast."

"I assume you've already sent a report to the appropriate parties about Neil's fate, yes? I can't think of a better approach than the direct one. If someone wanted them to fail to reach their destination, we should go there ourselves to assess the risk."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Yenros just laughs when Sol'deth suggests they had already sent a report. "You think far too highly of us. We left a "report", if that's what you wanna call it, in the form of an arrow with a passcode carved in it. We shot that into a bandit's throat. Well, I suppose the plan is to just walk up to the castle and ask then."

Dorota has nothing more to say on the matter, and Rena is ahead of the group by several feet. She likely heard the conversation, and simply neglected to say anything.

City of Cork

The quintet of Redhands, plus the boy riding along with Yenros, enter the City of Cork under some light cloud cover. Seems like rain was on the way. The city itself consisted of a mess of houses, shops, and the like gathered around a series of poorly thought out brick streets. A massive series of wooden docks detail the city's most obvious economic value, and several tall dual-masted trade vassals have berthed in Cork. A massive castle stands on a hill overlooking the city. Inside the castle's first ring of walls sit a small collecting of ostentatious homes likely belonging to minor nobility, or the Count's family. The second ring has guards posted on it bearing the heraldry of Desmond; a trio of bronze crowns on a blue field. Beyond that stands the castle proper; a single square fort obviously built for utilitarian purposes than ornamental ones.

In the distance, past the castle on the hill, stands a small solitary castle well outside the city's perimeter.

The city itself had been a poor village when the first King of Ireland had been crowned. But it had grown rapidly as it became a center of trade. Just a few years ago it was so important that the first wave of the invasion of France had launched from the city's port.

Several groups of citizens travel the dusty road around the small band. The odd citizen, likely aspiring horse-thieves, tries to hide a sideways glances at Rena's destrier and Tristan's coursier, but no one seems to act on their greed. Regardless, the looks those two horses get are a lot more prevalent than one would expect from a city as prosperous as Cork.

From main street the group can easily head straight to the castle, but without revealing their nature as Redhands there's probably not going to be a way past those guards. The sounds of a loud physical altercation emanate from a side street. Beyond that, the group can hear the sounds of laughter, demands for alcohol, and the cheers of ladies coming from a squat tavern nearby; a sign standing out front marks the tavern as the "Lazy Merchant".

DC 13 Spot Check
You notice an older man with an eyepatch over his left eye--and a nasty scar going under it--checking out Rena's destrier with a lot more intensity than the other would-be thieves.

DC 10 Know(Local) check
You recall that Cork has a bustling underworld tradining guild, thus explaining the rather prominent number of thieves.

DC 15 Know(Nobility)
You recall that Mowbray is Count of Desmond and Baron of Dunasead. Dunasead Castle is the castle on the hill, but it's not the only castle nearby. Brian Mowbray, Nigel's brother, is Baron of Blarney Castle, the castle outside the city.

[Bad Situation]

Tristan rides into the city lazily, leaning against his mount with a characteristic glazed over look on his face. Despite his awkward posture, he remains firmly in the saddle. When the enter Cork proper, he wearily sits himself upright and looks around appreciatively. He smiles dangerously as he turns around to look at the other Hands. "You know, last time I was around these parts was during the invasion...the place has changed, to say the least..." He turns his gaze over to where he knows the thieves are watching and his frighteningly cheerful grin only widens.

When the others come to a stop he looks to the halfling and says, "Yenros, you know your way around the tavern better than I. See if you can get some information or rumours out of the local patrons. Dorota will assist and keep an eye while you investigate. The two elves are with me. We'll be doing some...'investigation' of our own," he says with a smile.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Yenros looks to Tristan when he relays orders, then shrugs. "Seems like a plan." He turns and tips his hat to Dorota. "Would you mind escorting me then, young lady?"

The two of them head off toward the tavern, and Rena looks toward Tristan. "Thieves are as thick as fleas on a stray around here. Best not to spend too much time away from the horses."

[Eurus]

"If it's all the same to you, Tristan, I think I'd prefer to take a crack at asking around myself..."

Sol'deth quickly volunteers, in a way that surely has nothing to do with his desire to hit up a tavern.

[ZeroNumerous]

Tristan

Tristan and Rena head out to find some thieves, and as they do so the eyepatched thief disappears into the crowd.

Either Tristan or Rena will need to make a DC 17 Spot check to be able to find the thief in the crowd.

[Bad Situation]

Tristan breaks out into a foxy grin as he watches the man attempt to disappear into the crowd. He chirrups in amusement as he pushes through the patrons and other such wastrels in chase, keeping a steady hand on the hilt of his longsword in case of a quick response. His eyes scan through the dark alleyway and he laughs good-naturedly. "Hihihi. Rena, keep an eye out."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Tristan and Rena head into the dark alley. They can see three men gathered together--the scarred man, a bald man with a poorly fitting hat on his head and a sword at his hip, and a tall blond-haired man with a wide-brimmed black hat, and a black-shafted polearm of some sort. Once the two Redhands enter into view the conversation between the three men stops, and they turn toward the Redhands.

The blond-haired man shoots a smile at Tristan and Rena, then bows his head slightly and raises his hat as a courtesy. "Why hello there. No need to be on guard my dear fellow", he says while looking at Tristan's hand on his sword, "what do you lot need from a group of gentlemen such as ourselves?"

[Bad Situation]

"Oh, pay it no mind. I do not put myself on guard when faced with trash such as yourselves. If I had wanted a fight, one of you would be dead by now." He pointedly leers at the bald man, "Probably you."

Without losing his smile he simply shrugs, "Rather, I am here for information and in my experience 'gentlemen' such as yourselves are very often in the know as it were. So tell me, what exactly is going on in Dunasead at the moment?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The man with the hat just frowns. "Well, see, I would have been happy to tell you. But, unfortunately, you insulted my friends. So I don't believe I've got any information for you. Perhaps next time you'll be a bit more friendly, ya?"

[Bad Situation]

Tristan smiles, coyly shaking his head to the side. "Oh? Was not I not being courteous when I came and announced my presence? If I was being rude then I must apologize. My mouth has a tendency of getting ahead of me you see and when I saw you and your friends, ugly as sin, I simply could not help myself. But now that my apology is out of the way, allow me to ask you again."

The smile suddenly disappears and is replaced by a dark frown, "What is happening on this city?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The bald man turns up his lip. "We should just kill him. I'm sure the elf will make us some coin in Spain, and he's gotta be wearing something at least worth a meal."

The hatted man just shakes his head. "We're not slavers, nor are we gonna kill people for speaking their thoughts."

The man turns to Tristan. "Just walk away. It's three on two, and there's no way both of us will walk away unhurt."

[Bad Situation]

Tristan throws up his arms in disgust. "Ugh, why do you people have to be so reasonable!? I just wanted to fight!" He turns to Rena and sighs, "Alright, looks like we're not going to get a fight or information out of them. I'm all out of ideas unless you have something you'd like to do."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Rena just narrows her eyes at Tristan. "Perhaps you should try being less aggressive next time? We have a job to do, and that's more important than your mindless bloodlust."

With that said, she looks to the hat-wearing man as he turns to leave. "Wait. 6 platnium to split between the lot of you if we can get some information about local thieves and mercenaries."

The hat-wearing man stops, turns around, then eyes the town of them cautiously. "Mercenaries and thieves, huh? And a job... Well, I'd be happy to divulge my information for just a little bit of time with you."

The elf shakes her head. "6 platnium or I start the fight my friend he wanted to get involved in."

The blond man shrugs, and would rather get paid than get in a fight. He informs the two that he's a leader of a small band of mercenaries hired out by Count Mowbray as additional security. Real good coin, but oddly he's hired out a lot of other mercs. Some of those mercs left a couple of weeks ago and never returned.

Rena upholds her end of the bargain, and waits until the three men leave before turning back to Tristan. "A few weeks ago? Do you think they were involved in fighting the others?"

[Bad Situation]

Tristan narrows his eyes, "Could be. I'm not an expert but how old were those corpses when we found them? Still, it doesn't explain why they haven't returned to the Count just yet. I doubt that Neil was a target himself. A known member of the Hand dying in a neighboring land is too conspicuous. The Count knows that the Empress' procession is coming as well. I don't think he would unnecessarily endanger himself by simply killing an agent of the Empress out of hand... Perhaps Neil happened upon something he shouldn't have? If these mercenaries did have a part in Neil's death, they must have some reason that they're still outside the walls."

With that said, he shrugs and lets out a tired breath. "Well, enough of that. I'm sure you'd like nothing else but to return to the side of that horse of yours."

Sense Motive on the Mercenaries: [roll0]

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Rena doesn't say anything about the horse comment, but does continue on where Tristan left off. "Perhaps they went to a border fort somewhere nearby to wait for the Empress? Well, regardless, we should meet up with the others. I don't like being separated like this when someone out there recognized Neil."

[Bad Situation]

Tristan waives away her concern, "Ah, don't worry your pretty little head over it. I don't like to brag but I'm something of a swordsman, you realize. I've spent the better half of my life in her majesty's service but I suppose it is as you say. Let us regroup."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Rena just shrugs. "So was Neil. Now he's dead. There's a moral in that for you to learn, but you won't."

[Bad Situation]

"Ah, but ugly ol' Neil didn't have the Delacroix charm now did he?~" If Tristan heard the comment 'morals' he ignores it and simpy steps out into the streets. "The others will be busy for an hour more by my estimate. If you'd like to regroup now I suppose we can wait for them at the tavern but if you don't mind I think I'd like to look around the town first."

Knowledge (Local): Take 10 for an untrained 11.
Knowledge (History): [roll0]

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Tristan doesn't remember anything specific about the city beyond the basics. Rena shakes her head. "We should head back. There's no telling what Yenros got up to while we were gone. Besides, our investigation will be less dangerous with all five of us together." She heads back toward the tavern.

The group meets up back at the tavern. It's a plainly seedy place full of blue collar workers who're too absorbed in their drinks to notice anything going on around them. The perfect place to get lost in, or to hold a secretive meeting.

Yenros sits at a booth beside Dorota. Rena sits opposite Dorota, and there's one space left before whoever else needs to stand.

The halfling is the first to speak. "Well, I'd love to say "I figured out what's going on", but... I got nothing. Sol'deth? Tristan? You guys find anything?"

[Bad Situation]

Without much prompting, Tristan jumps up and plants his behind on the table crossing his legs without much concern for the other patrons of the bar. He looks down at Yenros and shrugs, "Something like that. It seems the Count has been hiring a great deal of mercenaries as of late though as far as I can tell the individual groups lack any sort of solidarity. We have reason to believe that one of these groups is responsible for the death of Neil and to make things worse it is very likely that they are still at large."

He shrugs and turns away, "That is all, unless Rena would like to offer her input."

[Eurus]

By the time Sol'deth reunites with the group, he's in some sort of rudimentary disguise. A weatherbeaten coat covers most of him, and a faintly grimy hat conveniently covers up the most obviously nonhuman part of his ears.

"I've heard similar, I think. The Baron of Blarney hired close to a hundred men for something, nobody's sure what. Nobody's seen them since they went to his castle. And apparently Dunasead had some horses stolen by men dressed as guards, still haven't been found. Pity, I was going to suggest something similar -- minus the horse-thieving -- but I assume they'd be watching for that kind of thing now. Oh, and nobody seems to have heard anything concrete about the Redhands, at least not that they're spreading around, although of course rumors are flying."

[Bad Situation]

Tristan's eyebrows quirk at the mention of rumors and makes an impatient gesture for the elf to go on, "Rumors are almost as important as facts in our line of work Sully, if not more so. You should know that. What have you heard?" It was time for business, then.

[Eurus]

"Well that's just it, I'm afraid; nothing useful at all. The only solid fact is that nobody knows for certain -- which, I suppose, is better than the alternative -- although everybody and their grandmother thought that there were, are, or will soon be Redhands around."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Yenros nods. "Well, sounds like we got several leads to follow up on. We could go to the Count directly, talk to this Baron, or investigate this mercenary army hiding out in who-knows-where. I think the Baron is our best lead."

Dorota shakes her head. "We should go to the Count directly. End him if need be."

Rena just shrugs. "I think those mercenaries were carry out their orders regardless of whether we kill the Count or not. Perhaps we should deal with them first?"

[Bad Situation]

Tristan waves his hand dismissively, "Well, I'd rather not deal with the politics of it all so I'll throw my vote in toward speaking directly with the mercenary groups. Should be easier to shake information out of them than deal with the slippery nobles. Though, I would prefer it if we had somebody to oversee the Count or Baron while I deal with the mercenary companies."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Rena shakes her head. "We can't risk splitting up. Whoever killed Neil is out there still, and that makes it too risky."

[Eurus]

Sol'deth considers for a moment, then nods. "Yes, splitting up for anything that serious is probably unwise. My vote is for investigating the Baron and his mercenaries. Even if they turn out to be unrelated to Neil's fate, which I doubt, amassing that kind of force right here seems like a warning sign."

[Bad Situation]

Tristan looks at Dorota and shrugs, "You're the odd one out, then. Baron or mercenaries?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Rena and Yenros look at Dorota.

Dorota shakes her head. "The mercenaries are the more immediate threat. We could kill the Baron and the Count afterward."

The elf and halfling nod, then get ready to leave.

[Eurus]

Sol'deth follows suit, standing. "Does that mean we know where to start looking for the mercenaries that isn't Blarney Castle?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Rena speaks up. "It's hard to hide the movements of ten people, so anything more than that should be easy enough to track down. I just need a place where we know for a fact that they passed through."

Yenros looks toward Sol'deth. "Luckily we have exactly that. Blarney Castle."

[Eurus]

"Excellent. Well then, lead the way."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The group heads to Blarney Castle, and Rena starts investigating the tracks nearby. The guards at the castle look at them oddly, but say nothing as long as they don't come too close to the castle. The elf woman finally points out a series of impressions in the dirt. "...About forty humans--some orcbloods in them too." Rena traces their path along the horizon, leading south past Cork toward where the Empress' entourage would be arriving.

"I found our mercenaries."

---

If the group follows the mercenary's tracks then they eventually make their way to a wooded area. The group leaves their horses tied up, and move forward on foot. After a minute of walking they stop a hundred feet away from a rocky clearing with a small cave built into the hillside. A group of six or so mercenaries are gathered around in front of the cave entrance.

Rena looks toward the group. "There's about thirty more inside that cave. None of them broke off from the main group, so we're gonna be fighting all of them if we just rush right in. Any plans?"

[Eurus]

"Going after all of them at once seems like a poor idea, yes. I doubt even our dear Tristan would have more than, say, a fifty-fifty shot at it."

"Hmm. Do we actually need to fight them? Personally, I'm more interested in information than blood-sport. If we can divorce one of them from the group, or even a pair, we can take them easily."

"Perhaps some kind of lure is in order? Smoke from a campfire, a rustle in the branches, something like that. Something innocuous enough, but worth investigating."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Rena shrugs. "We know that they were hired around the time Neil was killed. We know that they were in the area where Neil died. They may be innocent, but the circumstances point elsewhere."

[Bad Situation]

Tristan scoffs and waves Sol'Deth off, "You give me too much credit, sir. I may the most skilled swordsman this side of Desmond sure, but I'm not that good. I would give myself a 40-60 shot, at best." The modesty of the gesture is stifled however, by the amused smirk that tugs at his lips. He turns to the halfling, "You've dabbled your grubby little hands in magic, haven't you? I know you like to make noise but do you have anything in that bag of tricks of yours that would serve otherwise?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Yenros shrugs. "Suppose I could try." The little halfling kneels down, picks up a stone, then throws it off to the side as far as he can. The rock hits a tree, and the dull thunk draws the attention of the men in the clearing and the attention of a small rabbit. The rabbit dashes away.

"Did you hear that?"

"Let's go investigate. You two, stay here and shout if you see something."

Four of the mercenaries head off in the direction of the rock, and soon they've disappeared into the trees chasing after what they believe to be an intruder.

Yenros looks at Tristan. "Magic enough for you, ass?"

[Bad Situation]

Tristan frowns at the halfling's irritation but simply shrugs it off. "It was not half as spectacular as I'd hoped it would be. You can do better than that, I think but it worked so who am I to complain."

[Eurus]

Sol'deth just chuckles. "Let's go catch us some mercenaries, then. We'll have to be quick about it, can't have the rest running up..."

[Bad Situation]

Tristan looks at Rena quite seriously and grips her by the shoulder, "Rena, what I ask of you will be difficult but I hope you are up to it. I will lead the group out to deal with the four who have gone looking for their 'rabbit'. In the meanwhile, after a sufficient time has passed we will need you to pin down the two guards who have chosen to stay behind. If they come searching for their allies, fire into their midst and escape into the forests to lead them astray. If something goes wrong do not hesitate to abandon your post and find us. I would rather deal with the underbelly of Dunasead with a full team behind my back than without."

He releases her easily enough and shrugs, "You're free to turn down this request though. We're all equal beneath the mercies of the Empress after all."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Rena nods. "I'll remain here then." With that said she moves to one of the trees, then draws her bow and checks its string. "Just be careful."

I'll need Move Silently and Spot checks if you intend to try and sneak up on the other four.