The Troubles of Exsanguination

[Sir Dancealot]

Verilious:

The woman stands before you. She's shorter than you, but you know that means nothing. You've seen her fight, and it was as beautiful a scene as the woman herself. She makes you almost think that a woman's place could be the battlefield. Almost. But that doesn't matter, as she seems to be talking to you. "Verilious, I need your assistance with a situation. There has been a problem down by the docks in Warehouse 97-V. In a testament to your skill, I will allow you to deal with this situation as you see fit. While you are skilled in certain things, various others you are not." With that, she pulls a large purse from her satchel, handing to you. "Inside is fifty gold crowns, they are for your use in acquiring assistance. I would recommend going to the Watch outpost and finding their best investigator. You will also most likely need the assistance of a medical professional. Find one of the good ones, not one of the street-corner schmucks walking about. You'll need these papers to deal with the watch, and the other to deal with the Black Guard stationed by the Warehouse. Do well, and we'll see if we can't get you knighted within the year." Smiling, she hands you two sets of papers, one white, the other an ebon black. It's fairly obvious which one if for the Black Guard. You stand at the threshold of the Temple of Morr, your life is currently unwatched, as it has been few times before.


Calvin, Nikolaus, Morgrund:

The three of you sit around a small table, the tavern bustling about you. Currently, Calvin is off duty, Nikolaus is on duty, and Morgrund has no duties to speak of. Not much is happening yet, a few watch are here for their pies, such as Calvin, and various others are here for the pies as well, delicious as they are. Nothing much to do for the moment but talk. Hopefully something happens soon.

Berthold, Artur:
The two of you are sitting about, the day hasn't been overly busy a couple of scratches, but nothing big. You're both going over Berthold's ledgers, making sure all payments asked or offered have been received. Most have, a few haven't, but you aren't too worried about that. It's just something to do whilst you wait for someone to drop in. Which, coincidentally just now happens. He seems a bit pale and wobbly in fact.

[ArcturusV]

"... sos I was runnin' down this little kid ya know, little punk, ain't much higher than up to mai belly don'tcha know. Well he damned stops, turns ta me and says:

'Evenin' sir!'

Like nothin' ain't even goin' on and I ain't been chasin' tha blighter fer three blocks! Played it real innocent ya know. Almost thought I had tha wrong little kneebiter ya know? Guy callin' out 'thief!' and pointin' me at the wrong ragamuffin!

Sos I'mma about to say 'move along' when suddenly his damned pants cluck at me! I stops mid step, and look back at tha kid. Thar's another cluck. Damned kid freaks out as tha chicken he stole starts flappin' and cluckin' and throwin' a fit, nearly ripped his britches right out screamin':

HELP! IT'S GOT ME DANGLERS!

I tell ya what I just busted my gut right damned there... kid got half a block away, runnin' around in a panic swattin' at his pants 'fore I gots a hold of meself and gave him a good thumpin'..."

Calvin smile and laughed, shaking his head at as he shared a little of his day with his 'friends', and the insanity that a watchman on the beat might run into.

[allonym]

Berthold looks up in surprise as his patient walks in, but quickly puts on a professional smile and rises from his chair. He gestures for Artur to remain seated, then walks over to the newcomer. "Hello, sir, my name's Doktor Badermann, but you may call me Berthold. Why, you don't look at your best, if you don't mind me saying! Please, come sit yourself down here, sir, and let's take a look at you. What seems to be the matter - and could you tell me your name?"

[Sir Dancealot]

Artur, Berthold:

Happily brought over to the chair, the man dizzily sits himself down, "The names Bertram Doc. I'm just so tired. Feel woozy." He sinks into the chair some more, half drifting off, "I was in the alley, walking along, then I just woke up, all woozy like. Dunno what 'appened. Figured a doc like yerself would know. What's wrong wit' me doc? Do I got some sickness?"

I see you rollin'!

Heal is most appropriate

[allonym]

Berthold puts on his best look of confident concern and reaches for a clean metal rod and forceps. "Why, sir, that certainly sounds troubling. Open your right eye? Now look at me? And your left? Can you follow my finger? Tell me, have you been drinking, or eaten anything bad...?" He carries out a basic examination of his patient, relying on the physical evidence rather than the man's obviously limited memory.

OOC:
Heal test (61% chance): [roll0]
2 degrees of success!

[Sir Dancealot]

"Wells, I just had a Pint an' Pie o'er by Gertrudes, she does have the finest pies around, drop by almost ev'ry day,and when you buys a pin wit' it, it's only three pence 'stead o' five. It's a good deal, but, other then that I jes' had breakfas' me wife cooked up fer me. Eggs 'n' milk with a hit o' toast." He regales you with the various meals he's had the past few days, having a surprisingly good memory of them, nothing sticking out as something to make a man do as he described. As far as you can tell, he seems to be suffering from blood loss. But he doesn't have any ma- Wait. You can just barely see it, they seem to have already sealed up, but you can see two small punctures on his jugular. But there's no way a man could lose enough blood to make him like this through such a small marks.

[allonym]

"Herr Bertram, I'm afraid you seem to have lo..." Berthold trails off as the suspicion suddenly appears in his mind. Surely not... He clears his throat and tries his best to smile. "Sorry, Herr Bertram, I'll just need to ask my...assistant here if he can help me...come up with a diet for you. Uhm, one second. Artur! Artur, could you come over here for a moment? I'd like your...opinion on something. Look at this man's...nodes." He beckons Artur over and indicates the marks on Bertram's neck, then takes his pencil and, holding the scrap of parchment he is writing on at such an angle that it is obviously visible to Artur, jots down the words "He is suffering from blood loss", reasoning that his patient, like most people, probably can't read.

"So...Herr Bertram, when did this fainting spell in the alleyway happen? And where would this alleyway happen to be?"

[Tychris1]

Verilious looked about, sighing to himself as he looks at the papers in his hands. He offhandedly considered spending some of the gold on booze, and then realized that Sylvia would probably figure it out and deck him, or worse. Walking gingerly to the side of the Temple of Morr, he spotted his horse and smiled. It was a nice horse, strongly built, with fur like the Dark chocolate he loved to eat back at home. He sniffed the horse, hoping it was secretly made of said chocolate, and upon being met with disappointment promptly mounted it.

Pulling the reins, he tapped his heels against the side of his horse and whispered.

"Come on girl, lets get moving."

And with that he rode off to the Watch Outpost, head pointed down, and dead silent. He didn't particularly enjoy doing it, but he'd have to get pretty good at faking it if he was going to be a Black Guard. Then again, he was good at faking a lot of things.

[TheSummoner]

Nikolaus

Nikolaus let out a small laugh.

"But what happened to the chicken? Surely you got it back."

[ArcturusV]

Calvin leaned back in the chair, smiling and nodding as he took a little sip of his pint, "Aye, aye. Back ta tha merchant. Didn't tell 'em where I found it. Don't think he'd wanna know..." he shook his head, laughing softly once more as he got the last of it out of his system.

[LCP]

Calvin, Nikolaus & Morgrund

There was a scrape as one of the chairs was pulled back. Pulling himself up onto it, Morgrund's head appeared above the level of the table for the first time.

"Grimnir's teeth but you're loud, Fuchs," he said. The dwarf's clothes smelt as if he had been somewhere subterranean and unsanitary quite recently, and you could hear the jingle of mail as he moved. "Did anyone ever tell you you missed your calling as a town crier?"

[ArcturusV]

Calvin seemed to ponder it for a moment, dredging up various memories, "... nah... nah... can't say they have nah. Lots of stuff. Mostly Cow Puncher. Or a pig cutter. Or maybe a smith. Lots o' that count o' me bein' so big ya know. Biggest in my hometown, ever tell ya that?" Most likely, yes, yes he had.

[TheSummoner]

Nikolaus

"Twice. And that was just today."

[ArcturusV]

"See, see?" Calvin smile, and lifted his glass to Nikolaus, "That's why ya makin' Ee-Jean-Ear... good head on yer shoulders," he took a little drink, to his fellow peasant's fate in moving up in the world, and just good cheer all around. His eyes roved over the Inn room, wondering when the lady of the house would show up with his pie.

One of the damned few treats he had in his daily day, he looked forward to it all day. And now that he was here, was getting a bit antsy for it.

[Sir Dancealot]

Calvin, Nikolaus & Morgrund:
Gertrude wanders over to your table, all bust and beauty, a tray full of pies in one hand, mugs full of her famed cream ale in the other. Smiling as she sets them down, she leans in such a way as to give all of you a great glimpse. She usually only serves the Watchmen, whom are usually quite grateful for it. It's been said that many a watchman has joined just to be served by Gertrude, "So, I heard something about chickens and knobs?" She asks, the smile still on her face.

About halfway through your response, a man walks in through the door, at first you pay him no mind, another customer here for the food and beer, or maybe one for a room. You might spare him a glance as he walks in, he's a tall Bretonian type, his hand at his throat, seeming a tad confused. When he collapses to the floor, blood gushing from his fingers, that's when you realize something is terribly wrong. A collective gasp goes through the Inn, many people edging away from the man.

Berthold: Artur, takes a look at the wound, giving it a twice over. "Yes... We should work on a diet for you. Do you... Uh. Have anything that could help him out now Doc? Pie? Ale? Something?" He scrawls down one word: Vampire.

"But... I likes meh diet. The man groans, but mebbe it wouldn' hur'." He says as he blearily shakes his head. "An' it was only a block or so away, down off Fallhollow Place, over by Gertrude's.

Verilious:
As you approach the Watch Outpost gates, a lone Watchman raises his hand, "Hail! What can the watch do fer yeh sire?"

[allonym]

Berthold's blood seems to freeze. He tries his best to smile to avoid worrying his patient. "Ah...not to worry, Herr Bertram, the diet isn't a bad one! Why, you need plenty of red meat and lots of fluids. A nice meat pie, as my assistant here says, would do lovely, but I'd stay away from alcohol for now, sir. It'll go right to your head. The good news is, you'll probably be fine in a few days. Make sure to get some rest. If you can't make it in to work, let the foreman know it's on Doktor Badermann's orders." He talks automatically as his mind races, trying to work out what to do, without causing a panic. One important detail does suddenly come to mind. "One more thing, Herr Bertram. Could you tell me where you live? In case I need to make a house call or check how you're doing. Why, there's no need to worry, but better safe than sorry!"

[ArcturusV]

Calvin sat up, sighing as his pie was going to be interrupted. His ONE joy... his one, not even Gertrude's "service" really compared, as appreciated as it was. He stood up, one hand on the pole that he carried, walking out towards the man, "... that's good, that's good, just back away now. Ain't nothin' ya wanna get involved in..." he told people with his calm, authoritative voice, practiced over the last few years of bringing order to chaos, and justice to young punks.

Standing a bit away from the man, he poked him, with his pole, knowing better than to lean in close in case this guy was feigning well... whatever happened to him. The blood however seems to say otherwise. Calvin looked out over the crowd, "... someone go fetch a sawbones, eh?" he needled, needing someone to go off running while he dealt with whatever aftermath was going to occur. He circled around the Bretonnian man, knowing that he personally couldn't do much except a few simple things... one glancing out the door to make sure something that did this wasn't lurking outside, and two, putting his eye to the test with this foreigner, seeing if he had any obvious hints of what happened to him on his body, poking and prodding with his pole as needed.

... once jumped by someone feigning injury, or maddened by battle lust, twice shy, after all.

"Ser? Ser? Ya awake? Ya hear me? Ser? What happened?" His voice was calm and soft, not yelling at the Brettonian, but insistent and speaking loud enough so the man could hear him.

[Tychris1]

Verilious raised his head, his hands gently tugging on the horses reins to tell it to stop, and smiled. He reached to his side and held out the white paper his Lady had given him.

"Well I could use the best investigator the Watch can spare. I'm on official business from the Church of Morr, and time is of the essence,"

He paced his horse a few steps forward before leaning forward and whispering.

"And if it's just between you and me, I'm pretty sure if I mess this up she'll be the last girl between my legs....."

He lowered his eyes and patted his mare, a tiny smirk growing on his face as faint memories of Lady Sylvia fighting popped up in his mind.

[LCP]

Morgrund, Calvin & Nikolaus

Dropping down from his chair, Morgrund stomped over to the bleeding man.

"Are you blind as well as daft, boy?" he snapped at Calvin. "The poor wazzock's bleedin' to death for all we know. Put your silly stick away and help!"

Dropping to one stubby knee, he took a closer look at the wound and tried to stem the flow of blood if he could.

[TheSummoner]

Nikolaus

Nikolaus rushed over, unsure of what he could do to help. He looked to the crowd (standing around gaping uselessly, of course) for a moment and knew what he had to do.

"A sawbones... Right! I'll go, try to keep him from bleeding out."

No one else was going, they were too busy watching a man die on the floor to do anything to help. He spared a glance towards Gertrude to make sure she had no objections (he doubted she would, but he was on her pay afterall) before running out to find a doctor.

[Sir Dancealot]

Verilious: The Watchman stared at you for a moment, then made one of the signs of Morr, "Oh. That's definitely paper. With scribbly bits. We're going to uh. Ugh. We're gonna have to bother the Captain." the man sighed heavily, "Follow me if yeh will."

Nikolaus: After Gertrude gives you a brief nod of approval, you burst out into the street. It's oddly dark, which gives you pause. The street lamps have been snuffed. There's also a lack of people about. It's about now that you realize that you are standing on a street that while normally bustling, even at night, is completely empty. You stand alone in the dark, silence surrounding you, the smell of blood filling the air.

Morgrund: You kneel by the man's side in a slowly growing pool of blood. As you reach down to help, you know you've seen wounds like these before. Caused some yourself. The best you could do is extend his life by a few seconds. Maybe thirty or so. Not nearly long enough to find a doktor. Plus, doing so would be excrutiatingly painful, even more than his current wound is, but he'll be dead in a few seconds, so there's that comfort. He stares at you with terror in his eyes.

Calvin: Your poking does not help the man, he seems rather bleedy in fact, and by your guess, he won't be able to speak with his throat cut open like that. Glancing out the door, it seems oddly dark and empty, but theb it's filled with Nikolaus, but you have sword you heard a woman giggling.

Berthold: "Oh, aye. I jes' live off Drury, couple roads south. Jes' ask fer meh, people should be able teh point yeh to the right place. Anythin' else doc? I'm feeling a bit better now what with that food yeh gave me. Anythin' else I should know doc?" he Finished with a burp of appreciation.

[TheSummoner]

Nikolaus

Nikolaus nearly gagged when the stench hit him. A man was just attacked. Of course you'd smell his blood. Of course there's no one in the street. It didn't explain the lack of light though, and Nikolaus found that the most unsettling.

He tried to keep his wits about him. There was a man inside the tavern who needed a doctor, and from the looks of him, he couldn't afford to wait.

[ArcturusV]

"Take care of 'im," Calvin told Morgrund. He looked around the tavern, taking something convenient (Candle, etc), and using it to light his pole lantern. "Ain't much I can do fer tha bloke, 'cept get who did this."

With that, he dashed out into the night, in the wake of Nikolaus. With his light in hand, held up high on the pole he started looking around for traces of the Witness, the Laughing Girl he thought he heard, as well as evidence of where the bleeding Bretonnian might have come from, and where it might have happened.


I suppose that's Perception Test:
[roll0] vs 46 Int for spotting the Laughing Woman/a sign of her.
And Search for Clues/Signs and such of the Bretonnian:
[roll1] vs 46 Int.

[LCP]

Morgrund

"Take care of him?" said Morgrund, struggling back to his feet. He wiped a bloody hand on his britches. "Poor bastard's dead already."

He looked up to talk to Calvin, but the young watchman was already haring off outside.

"You know you'll get your throat cut too!" he shouted after Fuchs, sticking his head out of the door. Then, with an indifferent shrug, he followed Calvin out onto the street - albeit at a much more considered pace.

OOC: [roll0]
Not sure what time of day it is, but Morgrund's got Night Vision if it helps.

[Tychris1]

Verillious trotted behind the guard, rolling his eyes as he sighed under his breathe. Looking down at the piece of paper in his hand he grumbled.

"Well, so much for quick and easy. Hopefully this doesn't take too long."

Looking around lazily, Verillious wasn't entirely sure what to do aside from following, and so with no other alternative tried to strike up a bit of small talk, to kill two birds with one stone. He always was good with that back at home.

"Sooo.... Do you know of any good doctors around here? My head has been aching from time to time and I think I should get it checked on sometime."

[Sir Dancealot]

Calvin: Calvin spots some tracks in the road, they seem a bit fresh, and with the street empty as it is, you're sure it should be no problem to follow them.

Morgrund: You can see Calvin staring intently at the ground, seems he found something. You do find it rather odd that nobody is in the street tonight. It's usually quite busy, even for a time like now.

Verillious: The man seems amiable enough, easily answering your question, "Oh aye, there's teh young Doktor what's down the street over by Gertrudes. Good enough lad. 'E'll patch yeh up right well he will. Best Doc around 'e is. Oh, aye this'll be the night cap'n's place. Eh. Damn. He's not the friendliest of peoples he isn't." The man knocked heavily on the door. After a moment there was an answer.

"What is it?" You hear a deep voice say from behind, it seems slightly off to you. But you're not sure how.

Before you're able to say anything, the speaks up. "Uh, it's a disciple of Morr your cap'nlyness. He's got some letter or somethin'. Not rightly sure what it says, and yer trained in the letters so I thoughts it best to bring 'im 'ere forthwith an such."

"Morr? Interesting. Very well, send the man in." The door seems to open inward almost of it's own accord. Behind a desk you see this man (sans dragon): http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs31/f/2008/228/5/3/Sam_Vimes_by_Merlkir.jpg

[Tychris1]

Armed with new found knowledge, Verillious graciously bows his head to the guard before dismounting and entering the building. He pauses for a moment as he sees the man before him, a bit surprised and impressed by his appearance at the same time. He slung his Demilance over his shoulder and slid his shield onto his back before fumbling for a second with the paper in his hand.

"Ahem, well uh you see I have this paper, given to me by my Lady. She requires that I find the best detective that the watch can spare, Captain."

He took a far more rigid stance as he paced forward and held out his hand, gripping the paper tightly. It was his "Graveyard Duty" stance, and his time spent practicing it helped him keep a collected and organized stride in even the most awkward of situations.

"Either hes been in a lot of fights or hes lost a lot of fights. Either way those scars are pretty creepy."

Verillious thought to himself.

[Sir Dancealot]

Verillious:

The Captain takes the paper, taking a moment to read through. Then he reads through it again. And once more to be sure. "Well. Isn't that interesting." He smiles up at you, showing oddly perfect teeth, "We don't actually have any investigators to spare. I might be able to give you a simple Watchman if you'd like? He's capable enough. Has a good head on his shoulders. Could use some... Experience. He should be at that damn Inn by now. Gertrude's place. I swear that it's a thieves den. I just can't prove it." The man glares off into the middle distance for a minute, smoke lazily drifting from his cigar.

"Anyway. Off you go. And do be careful out tonight. I heard it's very quiet. Sampson should be able to show you out. SAMPSON! SHOW THE MAN OUT WOULD YOU?" He waves you away from his desk, once more reading the letter, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

As Sampson walk you out, you think you hear the Captain say something to himself. Something about a Prince Roland. Gimme a Bretonia lore please. At a +30.

[Tychris1]

Verillious raised his hand to say something, but in the midst of the Captain talking, it didn't seem like he could even get a word in! His mouth opened and closed repeatedly as if to speak, but each time he merely shut his mouth and didn't say anything. Finally he worked up the nerve to interject with a comment, and then POOF! Off he went out through the door. Verillious' head was spinning from the entire thing, his brain grasping at the words Prince Roland and trying to get a grip of it.

Rubbing the back of his head, he thanked the guard that showed him to the captain, and proceeded to remount his horse. Shaking his head softly, he kicked the side of the horse and began to trot, in search of "Gertrude's Inn".

It shouldn't be too hard to find an Inn of all places anyway, and Verillious could really use a drink right about now.


Brettonian Lore Check:[roll0]

[Sir Dancealot]

Verillious: Prince Roland? It couldn't be that prince Roland could it? The Titan, Daemon Destroyer, Dwarf-Friend, Hippogrif Tamer, Warboss Wrecker, Skaven Slayer, Orc Obliteraror, Tomb Lord Terrorizor. His very name having become a praise. His deeds having secured him to be next in line for the throne of Bretonia.

Surely not that Prince Roland.

You do hear a soft laugh from an alley to your right however. A womans laugh, and a beautiful laugh at that.

Nik: You run your way to the Doktors hut, only to find the place empty, but unlocked. Odd. While young, the Doktor know not to leave his door unlocked. How dark it is this night is starting to grate on your nerves. Something about doesn't seem right. And where are all the people? Usually there's people milling about even now.

[TheSummoner]

Nikolaus

Having grown tired of standing outside pounding on the door, Nikolaus opened the door and did the only thing he could think of.

"Herr doktor! Are you here, herr doktor!?"

He looked around and shouted for what felt like ages (but was really more like a minute or two) before making his way back to the tavern, defeated.

[LCP]

Morgrund & Calvin

Catching up to the watchman, Morgrund followed the line of the young man's eyes to the tracks.

"They pay you for this?" he asked, as he scrutinised the prints. "Thought you were off duty tonight."

OOC: Perception check to discern anything I can about the tracks. Large feet or small? Big boots or dainty shoes?

[roll0]

[Tychris1]

Verillious, not all too sure what such a plebian captain is doing invoking Prince Roland's name, promptly dismisses it as the Captain having some good taste and praying for some protection. Not all too strange, really, given how treacherous the land could be. The idea of Prince Roland swelled in his chest though, reminding him of home and all of it's pleasantries. The air, the beer, the sweet sweet summer time. He began to hum a tune, an old drinking song from his wild and extravagant past, and reminisced in his past as he trotted along to the bar. He continued to list off all the great things of Brettonia, the wealth, the grandiose nature of it all, the ladies.

"Speaking of ladies...."

Verillious raised his head as he heard the feminine laughter, a smile on his face as he turned to face the alley. Only a few types of people roamed at this time, so chances are Verillious was hearing the call of a prostitute. Gently tapping the bag of coins Lady Sylvia had given him, he thought on it.

"She won't notice if one coin is missing..."

And with that he turned his mare to face the Alley and peered inside, softly throwing his voice down it.

"Well, if that isn't the most beautiful sound in the world..."


Just realized Perception isn't one of the Squire's skills. YAY!

Perception test to look down the alley:[roll0]

[ArcturusV]

Calvin nodded as he started following the tracks. The light was held up high still, revealing a wide area and letting him see just where the trail was leading to before he stumbled into some blind corner.

"Aye. Supposed ta be. But ya ain't a true man if'n ya let stuff slide while ya hide in a pie and pint." Calvin looked quite serious as he followed the trail, determined to get to the bottom of this.

[Sir Dancealot]

Verillious:

"Oooh. A little mouse has found it's way to me. And I didn't even have to search. Good evening little mouse. Come, step into the Darkness." The woman's voice flows over you, you feel your hands go numb as you see a brief flash in the darkness, a flash that looked like two golden eyes. You have an odd urge to get down from your horse and move towards the darkness. Willpower roll please. No modifiers.

Calvin & Morgrund:

You two follow the path a ways, Morgrund noticing that the tracks were left by small boots, probably a womans, but it could also be a human child's. Or an Elf. As you wind your way forward, you end up in front of a door. If you knock, you get no answer, if you test it, it is unlocked. The darkness seems to close in on you slightly, and your light seems a bit weaker than it should.

Nik:
As you head back towards the Inn, you round a corner, to see a man atop a horse, staring intently into a alley, he seems almost frozen. You can hear the soft susurrus of what you think is a woman's voice. Darkness seems to loom about the man. Even though he is only a short distance away in the starry night, it seems that he is much farther.

[ArcturusV]

Calvin reached down, taking up his cudgel, and using it to rap hard on the door. "Watchman!" he called out to whoever was inside. Oh, sure, it gave them a chance to run, or a chance to hide. But panic made it less likely someone would be sitting there waiting to brain him on the way in. And acting with authority never hurt.

Calvin pushed open the door, leading with his lantern first on the pole, carefully scanning the interior as he stepped inside.

[Sir Dancealot]

Calvin and Morgrund: As you ease your way into the room, you see it's a simple storage area. You see three rather obvious men hiding behind objects. A barrel, a crate, one even has a lampshade on and is standing perfectly still in the corner.

[Tychris1]

Verillious begins to sweat slightly, not entirely sure what exactly is going on, but getting a very very uneasy feeling about it. Mainly, he didn't enjoy being called a mouse, or seeing strange flashes in the dark, or hell, ANYTHING about this entire scenario. His carefree and wide grin died down as he attempted to play it off in his head as best he can.

"Eh, well.... Uh... Maybe she's just into that sort of thing?"

He thought to himself.

Willpower test:[roll0]

[ArcturusV]

It was times like this, that Calvin was happy that a smile was naturally on his face. It made it easier to hide the signs of wanting to just laugh out loud at the things he saw, making it look like just his customary grin on his face. He rapped hard on the door frame with his cudgel, "Come on out, you behind the crate, you behind the barrel, you with the fancy hat. Yeah I see you. Come on out and lets get this resolved the easy way, okay?" His voice had a hint of laughter, but still the calm, controlled authority of a man who had spent the last few years of his life being listened to, or thumping someone who didn't listen to him. Authority, bitches!

[TheSummoner]

Nikolaus

His curiosity winning over his common sense, Nikolaus inched closer to the horseman and the woman's voice.

[roll0] vs 33 Concealment.
[roll1] Reroll if the first roll fails.

[Sir Dancealot]

Verillious: Her tinkling laughter washes over you, robbing your limbs of feeling as you move towards her."Do not fight it little mouse, you will not win. Wait... I know you do I not? Ah, yes, the Graveyard with the Knight in the Night. You lured me into a trap! Oh, how the tables have turned. Come then little mouse, come away with the Dark." Your body moves of it's own accord, you have seemingly no control of it. Your mind however, retains full function.

Nik: As you inch forward, you notice a twig lying in your path. Stepping carefully over it, you slink forward, using the alcoves that the doors give you as cover. The alley way seems darker than the rest of the street. Probably because it's alley, but something still seems off. You hear a tinkling laugh and a soft murmer as the man gets down from the horse. The voice sounds almost... Angry at the end. You feel the need to move towards the voice, to caress whomever is it's owner, to comfort them.

Roll a willpower +30 please.

I want to wait for LCP to post before I update the other two.

[LCP]

Morgrund & Calvin

Unshipping his shield from his back, Morgrund readied his hammer. He wasn't so optimistic as the watchman when it came to the obliging nature of strangers.

[Sir Dancealot]

Nik and Verillious: The woman giggles as Verillious moves slowly forward, trying his best to fight the grasp on his mind. But, he fails. Finally, he stands before the woman that is smiling up at him, her teeth gleaming in the dark, her eyes glowing a deep gold. As Nik creeps foreward, he can see the two standing in the dark, although he isn't entirely sure how as it seems even darker in the alley. It's almost as if they were standing on the darkness. Smiling, she opened her mout to speak, then blinked twice as if surprised. Hissing, she turned, muttering to herself. "My lair... It is compromised. How? Bah. I will deal with you later human. Know that you are marked, and you will be mine." turning, she seemed to vanish into the darkness. As soon as she was gone, Nik felt a sigh of relief around him as everything brightened up a little, literally. Verillious blinked, having control of his body once more.

Morgrund and Calvin: The men stand, as they do, you see that two are men, one a woman, they all stumble towards you at first, giving off a small moan. Almost a moan of regret. As they edge towards the light, you see that their throats are torn out. Seems that they're zombies.Calvin, I need a fear test +20. Morgrund, you're good. You've seen zombies before.

[TheSummoner]

Nikolaus

Nikolaus blinked, not quite sure what had just happened. Naturally, he turned his confusion and frustration towards the only other person nearby

"What the hell was that!?"

[LCP]

Morgrund & Calvin

"Uzkulbarak," muttered Morgrund, tightening his grip on his hammer. "Watch yourself, boy."

Selecting the nearest of the shambling creatures, he charged forwards with a cry of "Khazuk!"

OOC: Initiative: [roll0] (I thought you were going to roll these?)

In the absence of other information (can we maybe see a combat map?) Morgrund will charge the nearest zombie.

[roll1] vs. WS38 + 10 (charge)
[roll2]

Now those are some special rolls.

[Tychris1]

Verillious

Oh gods.

OH GODS

Not her again. Verillious knew she died, he saw the fire, he saw his guardian burst in Crossbow ready! She should have been dead. SHE WAS DEAD. Why did she come back now!?!?! Had Verillious control of his body he would have defecated on himself, repeatedly, but all he was left to do was roil in his own mental anguish. He began to run through all the life experiences he was missing.

"I'm too young to die! I never got to- Wait, no I did that.... But I never did- Wait, no, did that twice with the same girl. Oh gods I never- No, no, I did that with Fabio..... I'm still too young to die!"

He hurdled on himself mentally as he struggled to come up with a certain life experience he never finished.

"Well, I guess I never really finished my business with her. Well, if I do finally knock on Morr's door, I guess I should do it with a bang."

Resigned to death, Verillious was severely confused to suddenly see his Vampiric captor leave him. Marked. Well, that wasn't ominous at all! Looking about lethargically, he began to shake off his drowsy state, and regain his senses. Promptly causing him to piss on himself from realization. Looking rapidly left and right, he finally noticed Nikolaus, and tried to play his current predicament off as best he can. Not wishing to look like he was afraid or anything not befitting a Knight. Putting on a charming smile and switching to a, only slightly agitated, but still relaxed demeanor he addressed his unexpected savior.

"Oh, nothing. Just me getting tricked out of some hard earned gold. Some prostitute that was,"

His nerves were heavily subdued now, only breaking slightly when he put on a fake laugh and slide next to Nikolaus, draping his arm around his shoulder.

"Tell me, what did you see."

[TheSummoner]

Nikolaus

Nikolaus nodded. "Prostitute. Right," he said, looking down at the puddle forming around the other man's ankles, his voice flat with disbelief.

"Didn't see much," he muttered. "Too dark for that. Heard plenty though. That was no natural darkness... Was that woman a witch?"

[ArcturusV]

Calvin braced himself, his mind going cold and logical in this moment as he saw people that should be dead walking around. He didn't know jack about the walking dead, other than that they were bad juju. Nor did he know how to deal with them. What he did know was what his training told him to do, and that his little short buddy was ploughing into it screaming out incomprehensible things. Basic Watchman Training took over his actions as his mind stalled, keeping him moving.

He split off, going a different direction from the Dwarf, so that the enemies would split up hopefully and not all be able to focus on one of them. He drew close to the one who had been hiding behind a barrel, and raising his cudgel to help ward off the creature while Morgrund got stuff done against his target, hoping mere proximity would keep the zombie thug, he told himself to help him get through it, busy until the odds were evened out a bit more.

Half Action: Movement into Melee against one of the Zombies.
Half Action: Defensive Stance, all attacks against me are at -20 WS until my next turn.

[Sir Dancealot]

Zombies: The lone Zombie trundles forward slowly, making it's way towards [roll0] (1) Morgrund, (2) Calvin.
The other two strike at the two friends, hoping to cave in their... Whatever. At least that's what you think that's what they're hoping to do.

Morgrund's Zombie: [roll1] vs 35 15+20 for all out attack.
Calvin's: [roll2] vs 15, 15+20 for all out attack.

[ArcturusV]

Calvin slapped aside the clumsy, slow, pathetic swipe that the zombie thug made towards him, cudgel slapping aside the blow with contempt and extreme prejudice. He was dimly aware of short stack over there getting double teamed, meaning it was time to put his enemy on lockdown and go help out. Calvin drew back his cudgel, taking careful aim at the head of the zombie before giving him a good thumping.

Half Action: Aim
Half Action: Standard Attack, 29 WS, +10 for Aiming.
[roll0]

If I hit, instead of dealing damage, I go for the Stun via Strike to Stun.
Strength Test: [roll1] vs 42 Strength.

If the Zombie fails its toughness Test:
[roll2] rounds stunned.

[LCP]

Raising his shield over his head, Morgrund swung his hammer at the attacking undead.

Morgrund's free parry: [roll0]

Swift attack:
[roll1], [roll2]
[roll3], [roll4]

[Sir Dancealot]

Morgrund: You deftly block the attack on your shield, bringing your hammer across in a series of sweeping counterattacks. The arm you just blocked swing out and around, slamming into the hammer, dropping the weapon at your feet. The zombie groans unnaturally. The other zombie swoops in with it's arm again. Missing terribly.It'll take a half action to swoop the weapon up, but missy will be able to have a swoop at you. Bad luck with those rolls man.

Calvin: Easily avoiding the clumsy swing, you step in and lay the man low with a hard smack to the head. Or, at least, that's what you thought would happen. That hit would have dropped most men, but it didn't even phase this one. Something in the back of your mind clicks, and you realize that these men really are already dead. You are 'stunned' for four rounds. After the first, you can spend a fortune point to snap out of it.

Zeds:Groaning, the final one, the female, trundles into melee with Morgrund, unable to really do anything yet.

Morgund's Zombie: Swings! [roll0] vs 35 (15, +20 All out attack)

Calvin's Zombie: [roll1] vs 65 (15, +20 All out, +30 Helpless)

[ArcturusV]

... Huh... that should have done it. Done thumped 'em good. I knows I did. Right as rain. But he ain't thumped...

These were mostly the thoughts out of the stunned, terrified, and helpless Calvin. Followed by:

... he's chewin' on me arm... why is he chewin' on me arm?

Suffice to say he's not in any situation to do jack.

[LCP]

Calvin & Morgrund

"Don't just stand there, umgi!" shouted Morgrund, snatching up his fallen hammer. "Break some bloody skulls! I thought that was all you griffons were good for?"

He took a swing at the oncoming zombies, more in an effort to keep them back than anything else.

OOC: On the off-chance it'll help Calvin snap out of Fear, here's a Fel check for Morgrund's insulting the Altdorf city watch: [roll0] vs. 26

[Tychris1]

Verillious

The Squire merely laughed as his new found friend mentioned Witches and the like.

"Oh, you're simply too much! That is the most humorous, completely not serious, and totally fabricated sentence I have ever heard! Ha! Ha ha ha ha! Yes, you are a master of comedy,"

Yanking Nikolaus along with him further into the ally, nervously looking back out into the street to see if anyone was watching. Perhaps when the sun was out he could be more at ease, but right here, right now? Even the shadows had ears. His voice dropped all pretense of even trying to hide the fear that ran through his bones. Staring Nikolaus straight in the eyes, his voice dropped to a very low and soft pitch.

"No. She was not a witch. She was something much, much worse."

Looking around nervously, Verillious was ready to stab and burn every shadow he spotted, before finally snapping back to Nikolaus.

"It's not safe to talk like this, here and now. We need to go somewhere more populated, with more light and people. You'll know then."

[Sir Dancealot]

The storage room:

Morgrung swishes twice more unfortunately, he now has two zombies on him. [roll0] (I love it when I roll a 1) but fortunately, the female Zombie stumbles as it steps next to the other Zombie, tangling them up together. While they are still trying to kill you, they are also trying to untangle themselves.

[roll1] vs 15
[roll2] vs 15

The Zombie on Calvin continues its onslaught.
[roll3] vs 55
Spending a Fortune point negates the fear and the bonus to hit, as you would have spent it last round.

[ArcturusV]

Okay... it's not alive... it's not alive and it has gone and bit me arm... and bit me chest now... it's not alive... and it's bitin' me...

Somehow bits of his skin in that thing's mouth broke down through the terror of the whole scenario. Oh, he was still scared witless, don't you doubt it. But they train you to act even when you're afraid. Normally it just being so that some hooligan with a pig sticker doesn't hold you up. But surprising how the training translated, as he took good, careful aim and swiped a backhanded strike with his pole carrying hand at the thing with just automatic reflexes.

Burnin' my Fortune to no longer be pants wetting retarded scared by this.
Half Action Aim.
Half Action Standard Attack.
[roll0] vs 29 WS, +10 for Aiming, +10 for Street Fighting on the Unarmed Attack.
Damage, if needed:
[roll1] -4 for Unarmed, +4 for Strength Bonus, +1 for Street Fighting, +1 for Strike Mighty Blow

[TheSummoner]

Nikolaus

From his behavior, Nikolaus was beginning to suspect the other man might me a bit touched in the head.

"No. She was not a witch. She was something much, much worse."

"Worse than a witch?" Nikolaus paled at the thought. Now the man's anxiety made sense. He had seen a witch once and knew just how horrible they were. Even as they bound her to the pyre, the woman had claimed she had been no more than a healer... Using herbs and natural remedies to help the sick and injured, but the witch hunter had seen through her lies. Witches were all liars.

He shook his head driving the thought away. "I know a place. Follow me," He said, leading the man back towards Gertrude's

[LCP]

Not caring which creature he hit, Morgrund struck out again.

Swift attack

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

[Tychris1]

Entering Getrude's with great haste, Verillious doesn't even stop to make a lecherous comment about the aforementioned Gertrude. Instead he instantly seeks an empty seat as far away from everyone as possible. Finding one, he promptly sat down and motioned for Nikolaus to follow. Despite their new environment, Verillious still kept his voice to a whisper, and kept his eyes firmly locked on the front door.

"Alright. Now, that girl was no witch. Far from it, actually. I had met her quite some time back, before I came here to Altdorf, and was being trained by the priests of Morr far away. The whore seduced me and nearly killed me, and now she's back to cause more havoc....."

Settling his eyes slowly away from the door, he rested them on Nikolaus, and with a quivering breathe he stated.

"She was a Vampire."

[Sir Dancealot]

Morgrund & Calvin: Calvin slams his fist into the zombie's leg, shattering it's knee. Quite surprised, the zombie flails for a moment before dropping, smashing it's head open on one of the nearby boxes.

Hitting the male zombie in the left leg, you sever the leg, it flops to the ground, a brownish liquid oozing slowly from the body part. Unfortunately, the zombie is still tangled up with it's compatriot, keeping it upright, and the creature swings an arm at you. As does it's companion.

[roll0] vs 15, (Half action Attack, Half Action Get untangled)
[roll1] vs 15, (Half action Attack, Half Action Get untangled)

[ArcturusV]

Well... that's... huh... dead I suppose. Dead again I mean. Re-dead if you will. Deadified? Deaderited?

His mind had idle time to think of that, and not worry about what was basically his first kill as he whirled around, seeing Short Stack still having issues with his. He rushed in headlong to help out his compatriot, fist leading the way.

Taking a Charge Action at the Zombies.
[roll0] vs 29 WS, +10 for the Charge, +10 Unarmed Attack via Street Fighter.
Damage, if needed: [roll1] -4 for Unarmed, +4 for Strength Bonus, +1 for Street Fighting, +1 for Strike Mighty Blow

[TheSummoner]

Nikolaus

Nikolaus shook his head.

"Maybe you're just shaken up still. She couldn't be that." He tried to drive the thought away, as though denying the possibility was enough to keep it from being so. "This is Altdorf. If anywhere in the Empire is safe, it's here."

[LCP]

Morgrund

Hacking industriously away, Morgrund pressed the attack on the damaged zombie as best he could.

Swift attack.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

Morgrund will continue to Swift Attack as long as the situation remains roughly the same. Feel free to make a few rolls for me if it speeds things up.

[Sir Dancealot]

Morgrund & Calvin: Calvin charges at the zombpile. Unfortunately, as he is running, he trips on a broomstick which he was sure wasn't there before. Stumbling, his swing misses.

Morgrund Swishes past the zombies once more with both attacks. Even tangled together as they are, they seem to know where your attacks are coming from.

[roll0] vs 15 (Half action Attack, Half Action Get untangled)
[roll1] vs 15, (Half action Attack, Half Action Get untangled)

Morgrund Swift Attacking as he asked:
[roll2]
[roll3]

Nik and Verillious: The body has since been removed, but that doesn't really surprise Nik, it is Gertrude's after all. It's quieter than normal in the bar, and no one seems to be actually leaving. Most are either getting sloshed and getting a bed for the night, or drinking slowly and talking in hushed tones. Much as the two of you are right now.

Verillious notices that there are four watchmen sitting in a corner, drinking and eating pie. It occurs to you that the Captain never actually gave you a name. Or a description. Or anything really to help you out other than 'He'll be over at Gertrude's' which is where you coincidentally are.

[ArcturusV]

... ya know...

".... I feel a bit wrong about this..." he told the dwarf as he took careful aim, "... somethin' just ain't right.... and it ain't the deadite thin'."

With that he let out a hard, backhanded crack of his fist, hoping to put an end to this sooner rather than later.

Half Action Aim, and Half Action Attack.
[roll0] vs 29 WS, +10 for Unarmed Strike, +10 for Aiming for a 49 total.
Damage: [roll1] Unarmed Strike for -4, Strength +4, +1 Strike Mighty Blow, +1 Street Fighting.

[Sir Dancealot]

Calvin & Morgrund As Calvin regains his balance, the two of you attack the bodily mass back and forth for a moment. First, Morgrund swings, but the zombies had staggered towards Calvin and just outside of your swing. Calvin struck a quick jab into the male zombie's left arm shortly after Morgrund's swing. Quite off balance from missing a leg, the zombie started to fall, taking the female with it. Seeing his opening, Morgrund swings hard and fast, taking the female zombie's arm and part of her head. They both land into a pile with a sickening crunch, no longer moving.

[ArcturusV]

Re-dead? Deaderite? Calvin couldn't recall just what he had decided to call them once they stopped moving again. Thumped wasn't quite right, as they didn't seem alive. And a good thumpin' did nothing to them before. Something clicked in the back of his head, and dragging them out into the middle of the room, an area clear of any particular debris otherwise and unlikely to spread, he used his lantern, and a scrap of clothing off one of them as a match, went to start to burn the bodies in one great pyre.

... after all, they got up from being dead once. Who said they wouldn't once they were Re-dead?

He did this all with a cold detachment, not chatting like his usual self, no swagger. This was... something else. It had forced him to be cold and serious just to deal with it.

Once all three were burning, and it looked like the flames wouldn't burn down the entire building, at least not for a long time yet if ever, he walked out of the room and finally let himself relax back in the street.

"... that... that ain't right... ain't right..." he shook his head and tried to rub some warmth in his body as he tried to figure out what had to be done. Either way, it was above his paygrade. "... more watchmen... case the flames spread..." he muttered, "Fancy hats. Need fancy hats..." he muttered, then realized he had no idea where the local Fancy Hats actually were, "... where do I get tha right kinda fancy hats fer this?" he asked Morgrund.

[LCP]

Flicking the blood from his hammer, Morgrund spat on the floor. He looked up at Calvin's question with an incredulous expression.

"Hats?" he said. "What are you talking about?"

Shaking his head, he turned away. "I'm not getting paid enough to deal with the undead. In fact I'm not getting paid at all." Glancing back over his shoulder as he left, he called back: "Good luck!"

[Tychris1]

Verillious

Banging his fist against the wooden table, Verillious clenches his teeth and stares Nikolaus dead in the eyes. His voice was tightly restrained, a quiet hiss full of spite, anger, and frustration.

"I've looked into the heart of death itself twice when it came to that bitch. I have studied under the tutelage of Morr Priests and Blackguards. I know a damn Vampire when I see one, especially when it has tried to kill me twice in the same way....."

Fuming slightly, Verillious releases the tension in his body and slumps his form slightly. His eyes soften as he looks down at the table for a brief moment.

"Listen, I've been put under the training by a Knight of the Raven. She wants me to hire some help to handle a mission for her. That Vampire whore has you marked aswell since you saved me. So how about I hire you as part of my help? You get paid, I get help, we both get a trained Vampire Hunter as insurance,"

Verillious began to reach into his pocket to grab ten gold, a faint and shallow smile on his face as he prepares the best reason for last.

"And there's safety in numbers."

[ArcturusV]

Calvin shook his head at the Dwarf's leaving. Pay was... well... not everything. But he understood the despair and feeling that fighting those Unthumpables could leave in someone.

Holding his Lantern up high, showing all who might try to hide in the shadows that a Watchman was here, and there were no shadows that the Light of Justice couldn't reach, he made his way back to Gertrude's. He was pretty sure there were some other Watchmen still there that could help him out. And maybe find out if that Brettonian Bloke turned Unthumpable as well and needed to be Re-Dead. Maybe there would even be a Fancy Hat of Boss Sigs or the Dead Guy God to help out.

As he got further away from the scene, the smell of burning flesh, and the shock of the moment he seemed to be walking a bit better. By the time he got to Gertrude's he looked almost normal, though having lost his customary smile considering the situation. He opened the door slowly and leaned in, taking a look around to see if the Bretonnian was doing something quite off.

Ah, a couple of Watchmen still there. He waved to them as he stepped inside.

(... and I'm getting a bit ahead of myself and all fired up... should pause so someone can jump me...)

[TheSummoner]

Nikolaus

Nikolaus opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. He was still trying his best to not believe what he was being told.

"How much pay?" he asked hesitantly.

[Sir Dancealot]

Calvin: As it turns out, the body has been removed. Gertrude had probably had it sent to the temple of Morr. Which was nice of her, except for the fact that it might turn into a Zombie. But that's what the temple did right? Dealt with the dead, be they dead or freshly risen.

One of the Watchmen walks up to you, "So, did yeh find anythin' out there?"

Nik: You see Calvin walk in. He seems a bit haggard and tired. Not his usual self. You probably wouldn't notice if you weren't around him so much.

Verillious:The banging fist draws a few eyes, but seeing the livery of Morr, they quickly glance away. You see another Watchman walk in, he looks at the floor for a moment, then waves at the others Watchmen. One gets up from his seat and talks to the man.

[ArcturusV]

Calvin nodded, "... things... Things that ain't get thumped like a man oughtta..." Calvin sighed heavily and shook his head. He gave the man directions to the building he was just in, along with instructions to 'fetch one of the fancy hats', meaning of course a priest as people who knew him would know to help deal with it, and lock down the place for the sort of evidence gathering the other fancy hats of Verana or whoever liked to do.

"Keep yer eyes sharp out thar. Ain't know where them unthumpables come from. But they ain't too quick it seems, 'specially in tha head. Good smack though seems ta put 'em down."

With that handled, he wandered back in, back towards his pie and his pint. He really, really needed it before he went back to dealing with the sudden amounts of insanity that he had been thrust into.

[Sir Dancealot]

"Sure they weren' jes drugged up? Seen some that jes won't go down 'afore. But, I'll head off and tell the cap'in. I've gotta relieve the front guard in a turn anyway. Take care." The Watchman heads off into the perfectly quiet night.

[ArcturusV]

Calvin shook his head at the insistence that they were just druggies. He had probably seen that before, he'd have known. He sighed, pulled up the chair he had vacated what seemed a lifetime ago, but was probably just 10 minutes, if that.

Setting down he started chewing at his pie that was there, really taking some time to eat it. Not tasting it so much as just drawing comfort from the simple, down home act. By the time he was halfway through, he had a hint of a smile back on his face. When he was done, and washing it down with his pint, he seemed more relaxed, and more like his normal self. Some took comfort in the words of Fancy Hats, and what not... but his Mom always made things better with a good meal, and that had stuck with him through life.

It was then that he looked around, seeing that Niklaus was back... and talking to some strange foreigner type man. Probably not the doctor that he had asked him too fetch, but probably for the best, all things considering. He stood back up, grin on his face as he sauntered over towards Nik and his new drinking buddy. Pulling out a chair and plopping down next to his friend he gave the fellow a wide grin, "Seems ya made a new friend whiles ya out and about runnin'. Fancy type ta, guessin'. Mind introducin' me?"

[Tychris1]

Verillious

And there it was. The golden question that could persaude any man women or child born in the world. How much pay. Smiling slightly, Verillious allowed a few of the gold coins to drop on the table, in order to prove he wasn't bluffing.

"Pay's good. Twenty gold for you and whoever else I end up hiring."

Pausing for a moment, Verillious tapped his lower lip, and then threw Nik a quick glance.

"When you meet your employer, just be sure to tell her you're a doctor. No reason, really."

Verillious proceeded to slide the gold coins back together to put it in the bag, when suddenly another man decided to sit himself down next to them. Well, so much for staying hush hush. Remaining dead quiet, Verillious looked at Nik's expression to see if this new character was a friend, and after presumabely getting a go ahead he faced the guard and decided to introduce himself.

"My name is Verillious Montuier, ex-noble, grand knight to be, etcetera etcetera, at your service. And may I ask who you are?"

[ArcturusV]

Ah, a Fancy Pants... well 'ex-Fancy Pants'... but how does one become an Ex? Pissed off Boss Sigs? These thoughts and more ran through his head as he listened to the introduction of the stranger.

Calvin leaned back in his chair a bit, he was as comfortable in old Gertrude's as any king in a palace, secure of his place even with an 'ex-' noble giving him a bit of the business.

"Watchman Calvin Fuchs, from jess down da road aways," he said as he looked over Bretonnian, "... don't suppose ya were with that bloke from earlier?" He frowned slightly, "... stranger like ya... shame that," he shook his head, "... this the doc ya fetched?" he asked Nikolaus.

[Tychris1]

Verillious

Well, this man certainly had a very...... interesting dialect. Verillious did not exactly enjoy it, but it had its own rustic charm about it. In a way. Shaking off the feeling, Verillious suddenly came to a realization. He was hiring Nikolaus, and Nikolaus was friends with this guard. The Captain didn't specify who the investigator was, and Lady Sylvia didn't specify who to get either. Well, two birds, one stone. Smiling, Verillious shook his head as Calvin talked to him.

"No, sadly, I did not get to make the acquaintance of this other person you speak of. But, what did you say your name was, Calvin? Ah, you can't be the Calvin, could you? Ah, well put me backwards on a horse, slap my ass and call me a lady, what luck! The Captain of the Guard recommended you for a mission I have. Straight order from him and a Knight of the Raven, big names, big power. Told me to get you right this instant and recruit you, said you were the best, accept no substitutes, even have paper to prove it."

And with that Verillious brandished his document and presented it to Calvin. Verillious didn't even know what it had written on it, but he was fairly certain that with a speech pattern like that, well, Calvin wouldn't be able to disprove him either. Internally, Verillious had a large mental smug grin at how extremely intelligent and amazing he was. He almost got so swept up in his own ego to forget about the vampire.

Almost

[TheSummoner]

Nikolaus

Nikolaus stared at the coins, greed warring with caution on his face. His decision was inevitable, twenty crowns was a small fortune.

"I suppose I could help you... When I'm not occupied with my work here of course. Don't know anything about doctoring though... Why would I have to say that I do?"

[ArcturusV]

Calvin frowned a little as he looked over the form carefully, and heard Nikolaus's answer to the Bretonnian Bloke. Under the table he felt his hand balling up a bit into a fist, just in anticipation of something maybe going disastrously wrong in the near future. He was talking a bit too fast, asking his friend to lie about being a doctor... Pssh, he was nowhere near fat enough to be a proper doctor!... something was up.

"Ya know, I might jess be able ta help ya out... after I clear up some such mess down tha road. That other bloke, Breton like yerself. Got 'imself in a nasty way. Bugger bit 'em! If'n ya can believe it." Calvin tsked a few times as he shook his head in regret over the thing. Course the astute who had sharp eyes might notice that Calvin himself was bit as well on his arm from his scuffle. He seems to have forgotten all about it what with the distractions of adrenaline and fear.

"Right proper mess and all... course if'n they were lookin' ta jump a Breton Bloke, like yerself, who jess happen ta be in tha area... might mean they were after ya fer some reason."

[Tychris1]

Verillious

The Breton squire shrugged, not entirely sure himself.

"If I am to be completely honest, I'm not sure why either. My Lady merely told me to get an investigator from the Guard, and a Doctor. She hasn't deemed it fit to tell me why exactly I need this, other then that there is currently some kind of trouble in a Warehouse. I don't see the need of a Doctor, as we reside in the most populated city in the Empire, and it should be no more then a stones throw to get assistance. What that entails though, implies something completely different. That I would be needing healing and medical assistance, so a good sword arm seems more useful to me then a Doctor. Claiming to be one is just a way of pleasing her."

And then Calvin mentioned a Breton getting bitten.

Dammit.

Verillious' facial expression instantly sunk, the life coming out of his eyes as he suddenly focused in on the entrance, and seemed to leave the others as an after thought. Idly awaiting further confirmation, Verillious decided to inquire about this Brettonian, voice shaky and weak.

"Was he bitten in the neck? Bleeding profusely? Confused? Disorientated?......."

Verillious' voice slowly fell away into a whisper, as he fully contemplated what was going on, and how royally screwed he was.

Thanks Lady Sylvia.

[Sir Dancealot]

Calvin: You recall, quite vividly, that the man hadn't been bitten, but his throat has been slashed. Astoundingly cleanly.