Exemplars of Good

[Eonas]

OOC (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?341886-OOC-Exemplars-of-Good)
Yesterday you were all separately contacted by Wolf, who materialized in front of you without any warning, as Archons are prone to do. He was in his humanoid form, tall and fine-featured, looking tired and like he hadn't done any hygiene for days. "Meet me noon tomorrow at Slithgar's Grill, it's important." he ordered, and promptly disappeared again.

When you all arrive at Slithgar's Grill, you find it's a low-quality establishment, reeking of alcohol and burnt meat. The Grill is almost empty of customers, with only one man lying passed out in a corner, and Wolf sitting at a table in the middle of the place, eating some unappetizing grilled meat. Wolf sees you as soon as you enter, and says "Glad you could make it. Sit down, we've got urgent matters to discuss." But it's not until you've all arrived that he actually begins.

"Look, I'll make this short and bitter. There's a serial killer around the city who's been draining his victims' blood. He's been doing this for two months now, off and on, slicing young adults' necks open with some sort of blade. There've probably been about ninety victims, but in three days there are going to be a lot more, because I'm fairly certain that he's preparing an attack against an orphanage. You can still save these kids if you try, I think, but I need to know right now if you're willing to do it."

[GameSpawn]

Marienna slides down into a chair opposite wolf. "Of course."

[JanusJones]

The short, hooded man has seated himself near a wall, back against it. He's said nothing, but he was here before the others. When you spot him, he's looking away - mostly staring a hole in the man on the floor, or somewhere in the middle distance, but doing so with an intensity that makes you blink.

He says nothing as Wolf speaks.

[Piggy Knowles]

Emmanuel remains standing until all the others have sat, watching each person with his odd, coal-black eyes. He rests an ornate warhammer tinged in ghostly blue light against his shoulder. When all the others are seated, he sits as well, but refuses any proffered food or drink. He takes his leather helm off as he sits, revealing a bald brown pate.



"You can still save these kids if you try, I think, but I need to know right now if you're willing to do it."

Emmanuel nods once at this. Then, in a low voice, directed not at anyone at the table but rather at the warhammer that he still clutches, he speaks. "Well, Grandfather," he says quietly, "I believe it is time to set you to the forgestone once more."

[JanusJones]

The hooded man's eyes have not focused on any of the party, but a voice issues from the hood: rough, as though he's been smoking or spent too many nights out of doors.

"Why an orphanage?"

[Piggy Knowles]

Emmanuel shakes his head. "Evil men do evil things," he says. "It is the way of this cruel world. It takes a particularly foul deed such as this to truly stand out from the crowd."

He looks around. "Still, it speaks ill of me that it takes such extreme measures to move my hammer," he says softly. "More than fourscore victims already dead - disgusting. Grandfather, you and I have been idle too long."

[GameSpawn]

Marienna looks at Emmanuel, "Would that we could change our past with regrets." All sorts of gods know I've got plenty to change. "We must look to the future." She turns to Wolf, "I beseech you, tell us everything we need know to stop this villain."

[JanusJones]

The hooded man hasn't looked up. He speaks to Wolf.

"At least she understood the question." His voice shakes with barely contained frustration. He looks up at Wolf, eyes burning. "Is this some kind of training? Do you want me to teach them how to think, to hunt?"

He looks back in the middle distance, his voice little more than a hoarse whisper, but his words are clearly for the dwarf. "Wolf said that the next killings may be at the orphanage. How does he know? How does the killer choose prey? What kind of thing is it we hunt, and what can we do to predict it's movements? You carry that shiny hammer around in broad daylight, talk of guilt over evil deeds, yet you don't care to know what manner of thing you chase? How have you lived so long?"

He shakes his head, falling silent as he waits for Wolf to speak. He has yet to meet anyone else's eyes.

[Piggy Knowles]

"I have never fled in the face of evil, nor let its shadow prevent me from doing good," says Emmanuel. "As for not caring - truly, no, I cannot be said not to care. My regret is only that this land is so evil that a creature may kill ninety men with little consequence, and it takes something as heinous as the planned slaying of an orphanage to move men to action. My regret is that I am hearing this tale now, and not two months prior."

He turns toward Wolf. "I do not mean to discourage you from telling all you know about this killer," he says. "You must forgive my digressions."

[Eonas]

Wolf looks around at the people he's summoned for several moments before speaking. "I knew you'd be prepared to help. As for your questions - I don't know much about the killer. Most of what I know is through the militia and what a man called Ketrov told one of my fellow Guardians. Long story short, Angelum - that's the Guardian - had disguised himself as one of Ketrov's gangmates. Ketrov's part of a drug ring, by the way, one of the bad kinds, selling Liquid Pain. Angelum and I are trying to shut it down, which is why Angelum came to be disgused as Ketrov's ringmate. Anyway, that's not the point of my story. The point is Ketrov let slip that some of his hitmen friends had been approached by the killer and given a large sum of money to help the killer attack an orphanage. Angelum plied him for more information - he's good at that sort of thing - and Ketrov told him when the attack was taking place, what orphanage it was, and what the killer's name was. He wouldn't say who the killer was, or anything else for that matter. Maybe he didn't know any more."

He pauses here to shrug and to start eating again, chewing his meat with what are clearly powerful jaws. When he continues monologuing, it's with his mouth full. "I also know from a contact in the militia some more about the killer, but not much more. Nobody's ever caught him, and he's very good at covering up his own tracks. I can give you the names and addresses of some of his victims, if you like. And I know someone who can hook you up with the orphanage, too. It's not much to go on, I know, but I can't give you information I haven't got."

[GameSpawn]

Marienna twists her mouth, listening to him speak, "Well, with the time and place of the attack, it makes most sense to simply meet him there. There's an off chance of a trap, I suppose, but I think the risk presented by inaction is too great. When's the attack? Do we have time to investigate further?"

[Eonas]

"The attack is taking place in three days, if the date Ketrov gave is correct, or if the killer hasn't changed the time of his attack." Wolf answers immediately.

[JanusJones]

The hooded man shakes his head. "Never defend. Defense means we wait, let's him control the engagement. If we show up and he's got eyes on the place, we're made - and as good as dead."

He falls silent a moment.

"The names and addresses of these hit men. If we can't get information from them, we can at least lower his strength. We should put someone - someone discreet - on the orphanage in case he catches wind and steps up his plans."

[Piggy Knowles]

Emmanuel nods. "I agree," he says. "The gods only know what preparations they may put in place while we wait around for their attack. Steel that has tempered is far more difficult to break or shape than that which is still in the forge. We can fall back on defending the orphanage directly if a quick strike is unsuccessful."

[GameSpawn]

Marienna grits her teeth, then takes a breath and shrugs, "As I was saying, it depends on what we can dig up before the attack. We may need to defend whether we like it or not." She looks at Arrow with raised eyebrows, "Unless you're so committed to your dogma that you won't defend under any circumstances?" She looks back to the rest of the group and continues, "Anyways, I doubt we'll learn our killer's identity by investigating his past victims, leastwise not in three days, but it could give us some important insight into his techniques; did your contact say how the past victims died? What kind of wounds, for example?"

[Eonas]

Wolf quietly listens to the men talking and nods in approval. "I don't know who the hitmen are, Ketrov didn't say. But I do know where Ketrov lives - in the Hive District, Granger street, second-floor apartment opposite the abandoned tavern. Big, strong, dangerous. Scar on his left cheek. The gang's headquarters is near his place, but don't go there, you'll probably blow my operations with Angelus wide open." He gives one of his rare smiles, either sardonically or to show he wasn't serious. It's always impossible to tell with Wolf. "But I can answer your question about the victim's deaths. Slit in the neck, all of them, with a smooth blade, and none of them were wounded elsewhere. Most of them in their homes or apartments, the rest in some empty back alley or building. Everybody except the last two had few who cared about them; the last two were siblings, killed on their bedroom floor the same way as everybody else. It's a pleasantly ungruesome way to die, I have to say."

[JanusJones]

Marienna grits her teeth, then takes a breath and shrugs, "As I was saying, it depends on what we can dig up before the attack. We may need to defend whether we like it or not." She looks at Arrow with raised eyebrows, "Unless you're so committed to your dogma that you won't defend under any circumstances?" She looks back to the rest of the group and continues, "Anyways, I doubt we'll learn our killer's identity by investigating his past victims, leastwise not in three days, but it could give us some important insight into his techniques; did your contact say how the past victims died? What kind of wounds, for example?"

"Dogma?" Arrow's face breaks into something akin to surprise and ... almost a grin. "Hear that, Wolf? She thinks I have rules!" He shakes his head. "I just want to keep breathing, lady ... that's the shame of it ... nobody gets saved if we die. Thin their ranks and we'll have a better shot at being useful."

When Wolf warns them, he nods grimly. "I could track and kill a few, but there'd be no guarantee. Have you smelled the killer - do you have anything I could learn his scent from?"

[Eonas]

The Archon shakes his head. "I haven't been around the murder scenes. The orphanage is your project now, I have pressing matters of my own to deal with. The world's too full of evil to cleanse for us all to overlap our efforts. Efficiency, Arrow. And speaking of efficiency, make your next questions quick. I have to meet Angelus in a few minutes."

[GameSpawn]

"But I can answer your question about the victim's deaths. Slit in the neck, all of them, with a smooth blade, and none of them were wounded elsewhere. Most of them in their homes or apartments, the rest in some empty back alley or building. Everybody except the last two had few who cared about them; the last two were siblings, killed on their bedroom floor the same way as everybody else. It's a pleasantly ungruesome way to die, I have to say."

Marienna nods at Wolf's comment. As violent deaths went, it did sound fairly pleasant.

After Arrow and Wolf speak, Marienna sighs, "Rules are rules, whether you have a reason for them or not. And if you live by never defending, that may be what kills you. Worse, it could kill a full orphanage. More important, at the moment, is how it you plan to track this man, or his allies. We're you planning to talk to Ketrov? She turns to Wolf, "How long ago was the last attack? Was it recent enough that Arrow could get a scent from there?"

[Eonas]

Wolf pauses, his face expressionless and stolid, in what you've all come to recognize over the years as indicating that the Archon is thinking or trying to remember something. After a moment, he answers, with his characteristic decisiveness. "I remember that the contact told me that the siblings were killed two days ago, but of course the killer may have murdered others since then."

[Piggy Knowles]

"Well, I see no harm in a two-pronged approach," says Emmanuel, stroking his beardless chin. "We visit the orphanage - incognito, if possible, in case the killer or killers are monitoring it as well - and we investigate his previous murders for any information we might glean."

He sits thoughtfully for a moment, then places a hand on his great hammer. "The method of death seems oddly specific," he muses. "Could there be any ritual significance in such attacks?"

[GameSpawn]

He sits thoughtfully for a moment, then places a hand on his great hammer. "The method of death seems oddly specific," he muses. "Could there be any ritual significance in such attacks?"

Knowledge (Religion) check to answer this question: [roll0]

[JanusJones]

Marienna nods at Wolf's comment. As violent deaths went, it did sound fairly pleasant.

After Arrow and Wolf speak, Marienna sighs, "Rules are rules, whether you have a reason for them or not. And if you live by never defending, that may be what kills you. Worse, it could kill a full orphanage. More important, at the moment, is how it you plan to track this man, or his allies. We're you planning to talk to Ketrov? She turns to Wolf, "How long ago was the last attack? Was it recent enough that Arrow could get a scent from there?"

Arrow grimaces at Marienna's words. "If we're going to work together, you're going to stop making assumptions. I never claimed to have any rule against defense - I advocated offense as a first strategy. Listen when I talk - it will waste less time."

He nods to Emmanuel. "You defend. With that great hammer of yours, you'll draw too much attention otherwise. We can speak with the people at the orphanage, try to arrange for defense. If the killer has eyes on the place, though, they may change the timing of the attack."

He shakes his head. "Too many elements to control. I'm no good with people, but I can track something from its spoor." He looks at Marienna. "Could you - or either of you - find out whether any other murders have been committed? It might give us an edge if I can smell what's coming."

He looks up at Wolf. "Efficiency. Don't want to waste your time. We're at least talking business now - I'll do my best." He looks away for a moment. "Best I can. No guarantees."

[Eonas]

"Perhaps." Wolf answers Emmanuel, swallowing his last piece of meat. "Almost all rituals have strange quirks like that." He then listens to Arrow's speech attentively, occasionally nodding in approval.

There could indeed be ritual significance to the way in which the victims were killed - rituals often require a specific sacrificial technique. About a century ago, there was, indeed, a diary written by a man who was reported to have killed dozens of people in the same way as this killer. The diary detailed a ritual intended to give youth and beauty to those who undergo it. Marienna doesn't know or remember any specifics of the ritual, however.

[GameSpawn]

Marienna sighs and rubs her temples slightly in response to Arrow's comments. Taking an injunction to "never defend" to mean "never defend" hardly seems like an assumption to her, but she supposes that so long as he is willing to defend when the need arises it doesn't matter what he says. Instead she focuses on the other questions, speaking first to Emmanuel, "100 years ago or so there was a man who wrote a diary describing a series of killings in this manner, supposedly as part of a ritual to gain eternal youth and beauty. Conceivably, this could be another attempt to bring that ritual to fruition. Or it could just be a convenient method for the killer."

She shrugs when Arrow asks about gathering information, "With the right scrolls I can find out anything you need. Unfortunately, I don't have those. My magic can help improve our people skills a bit, but it can't work wonders."

[JanusJones]

Arrow nods. "I know a man who might be able to help, but our time is short."

He looks chagrined. "It sounds like all we have is to wait, then. Here's what I meant, before: to be effective, a good defense needs to be an attack. If we simply set up and wait, its the killer's advantage. If we are concealed, or bait him somehow, so he reveals himself or makes himself vulnerable, we'll have a chance."

He looks at his two new companions - directly, for the first time. "We need to know what we're working with if we're to set a trap. I can look it over without alerting anyone - hopefully, I can avoid any eyes he has on the place. One of you - whoever's more subtle -" here he eyes Emmanuel's massive hammer, "could chat with whoever works there. Be nice if we could convince them of threat, and get them to cooperate."

"Odds are against him having an insider there, since he's hiring help to make his assault. We'd want to keep all his targets together on the night in question, so we couldn't lose any. We'd also need to avoid letting him know we made that move, or he'll just change when he strikes."

He suddenly rubs his face, and for a moment - almost too quick to catch, unless you're watching him closely - something like a grin flickers across his face, and he reddens. It's the longest he's spoken in weeks - the subject has clearly engaged him in something he enjoys: the hunt.

[Piggy Knowles]

He looks at his two new companions - directly, for the first time. "We need to know what we're working with if we're to set a trap. I can look it over without alerting anyone - hopefully, I can avoid any eyes he has on the place. One of you - whoever's more subtle -" here he eyes Emmanuel's massive hammer, "could chat with whoever works there. Be nice if we could convince them of threat, and get them to cooperate."

Emmanuel nods, misunderstanding Arrow's glance. "I have rarely been called subtle," he says, "but I will of course go and speak with them."

[GameSpawn]

Marienna glances at the two men, "I'm not particularly subtle either, but I'm probably a bit less conspicuous. I could alter my appearance or even turn one of us invisible before we go into the orphanage as well. If you know someone who can provide with scrolls, we'll have to work around that, though."

[Eonas]

here he eyes Emmanuel's massive hammer
Hahaha...
Oh, I'm such a 13 year old.

"You'll need to find the orphanage before you do anything. It's underground, and these places don't exactly advertise themselves." Wolf adds, almost interrupting Marienna. "I don't know where it is, but I know someone who does who might help you. Her name's Niabeth, one of the singers in the Silver Spoon. It's a prominent restaurant in the Lower Merchant's district - ask around and you'll find it." Here the Archon's usually impenetrable face looks uncomfortable. "Now, Niabeth is a demon, so be on your guard. Get her to give you the info and then be on your way."

[GameSpawn]

Marienna twists her mouth slightly, "Could you tell us more about Niabeth? What kind of demon is she?"

[Eonas]

The archon laughs an ironic, mirthless laugh. "Succubus. These types are always succubi - slick as grease, fingers in every pot of gold. I'd personally kill every one I ever meet, but they've all got contacts, they're all the center of their own little webs... get too close to the spider, and soon the web's got you cocooned. Be careful, is all I'm saying." He looks around at his own contacts at the table with him, not without some petulance. The subject evidently has struck a bitter note in him. "Any more questions?" he asks, tersely.

[JanusJones]

Arrow shrugs. "Anything I can scent the orphanage from? Might be easier. You know I'm no good with demons."

[GameSpawn]

Marienna contemplates his words.

Knowledge (the Planes) to see what I know about Succubi. [roll0]

[Piggy Knowles]

Emmanuel shakes his head sadly at the thought of a demon being the sole keeper of such knowledge. Were he a few decades younger, he would have gnashed his teeth at the thought, but after more than a century in this fell place, it is but one more disappointment...

[Eonas]

Marienna realizes that, unfortunately, Wolf is dead on the money. There aren't necessarily very many succubi or incubi in Barusia, but they are all so well connected that they seem to turn up everywhere you go. And, though they aren't very physically powerful, they are phenomenally hard and risky to kill, since you never know how the effects of a succubus' death will ripple across her web of connections. Yet, like everyone else, they're never perfect (although some are darn near close). They, too, are subject to making miscalculations, and occasionally their malice and vanity will go too far and send their whole world toppling down on top of them.

"You want to find the orphanage by scenting it out? It'd be like looking for an ant in Baator. And no, I don't. I don't know anything about the orphanage except what Ketrov told Angelum." Wolf says, then hesitates. "The other way is to find Ketrov and beat the into out of him. Careful what you do, though. I've got my own project with Ketrov's gang, like I said. When you have the info, kill him or kidnap him, don't let him run to his mates and give them all a head's up."

[JanusJones]

Arrow nods. "Him, I can find. The Hive district, Granger, you said. I'll keep it quiet."

He looks to the others. "Maybe you look your way, I look mine, we find it one way or the other. Rendezvous in the Bleeding Hart tomorrow, 3rd watch - though you should come at 1st and 2nd, so we don't arrive together."

[GameSpawn]

Marienna considers for a moment. "Try that then. I'll talk to Niabeth in disguise." She glances at Emmanuel, "Unless Arrow needs you, I'd like you with me. You don't need to be part of the discussion if you don't want to, but I'd prefer having some backup."

[Piggy Knowles]

Emmanuel nods. "Grandfather and I would be pleased to join you," he says.

[Eonas]

'You're set, then." Wolf says, standing up and putting a rusty silver piece on the front counter of Slithgar's Grill - whoever runs the establishment doesn't seem to be there. The Archon tosses a folded-up piece of parchment to Marienna and disappears.

The parchment is chicken-scrawled with the following message:

spells - see Mentalist
lower merchant's district 34 street
AFTER STOPPING KILLER

-wolf

While walking through the streets of Barusia towards the Silver Spoon, Emmanuel and Marienna witness yet again a cross-section of the city's misery. Men and women of all ages and types fill the streets, heads lowered to the ground, going about their own personal business as if nobody else existed. On the sides of the streets, beggars cry out for alms to unheeding passersby. One of them, a half-crippled middleaged man, touches Emmanuel's foot and croaks "A copper for a starving man!" It's unlikely that he'd spend the copper on food, however, though he is obviously indeed starving: like so many of the beggars in Barusia, he would likely save up all his copper pieces to be blown on a single hit of devilweed. Some ways farther on, a young girl sits huddled in fetal position, skin stretched against her bones even tighter than her threadbare dress is stretched against her skin. She is too weak to fight or steal for food and too young to sell her body for money (except in certain circles, that is), so she starves, like countless other children in the city. Farther on, an old woman watches helplessly as a thug despoils her of all her posessions in some back-alley, and no one lifts a finger against him. They are all too preoccupied with their own suffering to heed hers.

Finally, the pair arrive at a sightly better-off part of the city, the Lower Merchant's district. The buildings here are less rundown (many more of them are shops or inns or the like), the people slightly less desperate, and instead of being lined with those incapable of fighting for themselves, the streets are lined with vendors, selling goods of all types and each competing with each other for the attention of passersby. If there is a middle class in Barusia, the residents of the Lower Merchant's district are it. They are those blessed by fate or those that have the savoir-faire to rise in the echelons of Barusian society, and as a result, they live a reasonably comfortable life.

Emmanuel and Marienna smell the the Silver Spoon almost before they see it, the pungent odor of bread, vegetables, and even fresh meat. It's a large, attractive building with no windows but several doors, through which the sound of speech and of a female singer emanate.

---

Arrow has a similar experience of the city's misery until he arrives at the Hive district. Here, the dirt streets are almost entirely empty, and the few that prowl the streets are evil-looking, suspicious types who eye Arrow as if sizing him up. The buildings are all of a particularly ramshackle appearance, slammed against one another like adolescent teeth in a child's mouth. The exceptionally narrow streets lend a peculiar claustrophobia to the place, a claustrophobia that isn't lessened by the district's unusual silence. The Hive is by far the most desperate area of the city, the small, compacted nucleus of the the city's amorality. The police has no jurisdiction here - the only authorities in the Hive are the strongest and the most cunning of its residents, and its only law is the law of the street.

Granger street is utterly abandoned when Arrow finds his way there. The street hardly looks any different from any of the others (except for the abandoned tavern it contains, which is in such an extreme state of disrepair that its survival seems almost a miracle), and indeed the only indications that it is indeed Granger street are a few dilapidated signposts marking it as such. Opposite the abondoned tavern is a tall, obliquely-angled building, windowless like the rest of the buildings in the Hive, but with a single small wooden door as an entrance.

[GameSpawn]

Marienna moves through the streets in sullen silence. She hates to pass the beggars by, but she doesn't want to draw attention to herself. She reminds herself that she'll do more good saving the orphanage than feeding a beggar or two. Besides, she reflects silently, there will still be plenty of people to feed after we've completed this mission.

As they near the Silver Spoon, Marienna searches for a spot to change form without being seen.

If I can do this without a problem, Marienna will change into a half-elf man, keeping the elven features to a minimum as much as possible and generally looking less like herself and using the rod of metamagic extend to extend it.

[Eonas]

Marienna has only a little difficulty in finding an empty back-alley in the Lower Merchant's: some of the ones she finds are occupied by others probably seeking some privacy as well. Eventually, however, she finds a secluded alley, filled with trash which serves as a barrier from any potential prying eyes. There she successfully transforms into a half-elf that looks entirely unlike her.

Upon opening the door of the Silver Spoon, Marienna and Emmanuel are confronted with a blast of sensation. This place is a far cry from the dinginess of Slithgar's Grill, or of the rest of the city. Here, the many wooden tables are clean, the food appetizing, the patrons numerous and well-attired. A few unusually pretty waitresses flit gracefully about, serving food to customers. At one end of the building there is a small stage, upon which a tall and equally pretty woman croons into a magical amplifier over the restaurant's patrons' conversations.

---

Arrow hides in the tavern, watching for someone who could be Ketrov. The taven is musty and has an air of decay, but there are signs that the place has been frequented recently - broken cobwebs at the entrance, for example. The next few hours are singularly uneventful, the monotony only occasionally broken by a thug or two passing the tavern on their way somewhere. It's not until late afternoon that Arrow's patience is rewarded: a tall man with a muscular build and a seemingly unguarded demeanor (unusual for such a place as the Hive district). He wears a lace-fringed outfit which, though obviously costly, is very dirty, and at his side there's a mace hanging in plain view. The man quickly and purposefully walks down several of the mazelike streets of the Hive.

Make yourself a Hide/Move silently check if you want to follow him. You don't know for sure whether this guy is Ketrov - Wolf didn't describe him.

[Piggy Knowles]

Troubled by the thought of dealing with a succubus, Emmanuel absent-mindedly tosses a copper to the beggar as he passes. Addiction is its own sort of hunger, after all - it would be no great kindness to avoid charity.

The Silver Spoon should be a welcome relief after the previous tavern and the walk over, but somehow its cleanliness in the midst of such squalor makes him uneasy. Almost automatically, he focuses his mind, reaching out with that same part of his nous that he uses to speak with his grandfathers. The tendrils of his mind flicker outward, feeling toward the souls of those around him. He narrows his eyes for an instant at the bursts of color that blossom around him as his waking mind attempts to give meaning to the auras his sleeping mind reads.

Emmanuel is using detect evil as he enters the Silver Spoon.

[GameSpawn]

Marienna looks at the singer, trying to determine if it's a succubus, presumably Niabeth.

[JanusJones]

Arrow hides in the tavern, watching for someone who could be Ketrov. The taven is musty and has an air of decay, but there are signs that the place has been frequented recently - broken cobwebs at the entrance, for example. The next few hours are singularly uneventful, the monotony only occasionally broken by a thug or two passing the tavern on their way somewhere. It's not until late afternoon that Arrow's patience is rewarded: a tall man with a muscular build and a seemingly unguarded demeanor (unusual for such a place as the Hive district). He wears a lace-fringed outfit which, though obviously costly, is very dirty, and at his side there's a mace hanging in plain view. The man quickly and purposefully walks down several of the mazelike streets of the Hive.

Make yourself a Hide/Move silently check if you want to follow him. You don't know for sure whether this guy is Ketrov - Wolf didn't describe him.

Arrow begins moving the moment he sights Ketrov. He's at the door, then in the street as the man rounds the corner. He takes a quick, deep sniff of the passing air, nose up, catching the reek of the man's passing, then begins quickly, quietly moving after him.

A casual observer would take him for nothing more than what he seems: a dirty, ragged beggar, skulking in the alleys, scavenging here and there for anything that can be sold, worn, or eaten.

Using Scent, allowing Arrow some distance, hopefully providing a Hide/MS bonus.
Listen: [roll0]
Spot: [roll1]
Survival (with Scent): [roll2]
Hide: [roll3]
Move Silently: [roll4]

[Eonas]

The beggar claws at the coin hungrily, and though he doesn't speak a word, the way he briefly looks at Emmanuel is thanks enough.

---

A waitress glides up to the pair with a pleasant, if artificial, smile. "Can I help you two find a seat?" she asks.

Emmanuel is greeted with seven Faint blue auras gently pulsing around various people in the establishment - none of them strong enough for a succubus. One of the auras is centered around the singer; another around the waitress next to him; three more around particularly wealthy-looking men talking around a table in the corner of the establishment; still another around a hunted-looking young woman talking with a different waitress; and the last around a guard sitting in the doorway. From the doorway, Emmanuel can't detect the entire contents of the Silver Spoon - it's possible that further back there are more auras.
The singer certainly looks human, but since succubi can take any humanoid form they please, that's not much indication. Often, succubi will take attractive human forms - particularly the vain ones or those dealing with certain clients. Other than that, Marienna has no real way of determining the singer's true identity.

---

The man doesn't seem to notice Arrow following him - at least, not for a while. But suddenly, in the center of a particularly narrow alleyway, he spins around, searching the shadows for his shadower. "I would like to inform you that I do not enjoy engaging in subterfuge." he says, in a clear voice which cuts through the silence of the Hive and leaves echoes bouncing from the place's shabby wooden houses. His diction is well-enunciated and precise, but his accent is low-brow.

[GameSpawn]

Marienna steels herself for the interaction, "Yes, please. By the way, I've heard interesting things about one of your singers, Niabeth. I was rather hoping we could meet her."

Diplomacy, if you think it's necessary: [roll0] EDIT: Well ok then.

[Eonas]

The waitress' smile remains plastered on her face. "Oh yes, she'll be singing in a few minutes. Would you like a table?"

[JanusJones]

The man doesn't seem to notice Arrow following him - at least, not for a while. But suddenly, in the center of a particularly narrow alleyway, he spins around, searching the shadows for his shadower. "I would like to inform you that I do not enjoy engaging in subterfuge." he says, in a clear voice which cuts through the silence of the Hive and leaves echoes bouncing from the place's shabby wooden houses. His diction is well-enunciated and precise, but his accent is low-brow.

Hidden, the small, ugly man's brow furrows. He grips his bow, nocks an arrow, and concentrates.

Standard to cast Hunter's Mercy. Nocking a Blunt Arrow. Holding position.

[Eonas]

In the alleyway, the man stiffens, his right hand poised next to his mace.

[JanusJones]

In the dark, Arrow's eyes glittered as Ketrov raised his head, as if to take the air.

Like a beast.

His hand clenched on his bow, knuckles white.

No, not a beast. No beast poisons its own young. Less than a beast.

There was a soft, sharp twang, and the arrow flew out of the darkness, humming.


Firing the Hunter's Mercy (auto-threat) arrow. Blunt, so it does subdual.
Adding a +2 for being unseen.
To Hit: [roll]1d20+17[roll] to confirm.
Damage/crit: [roll0]/[roll1]
Moving 30 feet toward Ketrov.

[JanusJones]

Attack roll for derping: [roll0]

[Piggy Knowles]

Emmanuel narrows his eyes, which continue to glow, but nods at the offer of a seat. He remains seated, eyes a-glow, watching the dancers fixedly, only taking his eyes off of them to order a drink.

[GameSpawn]

Marienna nods, "Yes. Please." Once at the table, she waits a new singer to come out.

[Eonas]

The projectile hits Ketrov square in the chest. He staggers back and pierces the silence again with a roar of pain. But the roar is short, and the next moment he is striding to meet Arrow, mace in hand. There's a barely-tamed animalistic fury in his eyes now, and when the ranger looks down at his target's hand, he sees long, vicious claws. "Arrows in the dark, assaults from the shadows." growls Ketrov, "Let us discover how apt you are at fighting like a man."

Here the scene ends, suspensefully. :smallamused:

---

The waitress flits away but soon comes back to give the pair a menu. "Let me know when you're ready to take an order." she smiles, then leaves. The menu is filled with exotic and mundane foods alike - all delicious-sounding and presumably very fancy.

After another 10 minutes, Niabeth walkes out of the door into the main room of the establishment, and onto the stage, amidst enthusiastic applause (the previous singer having already ended and walked off it - to slightly less applause). She's willowy, graceful, and clad in a shimmering blue dress which is almost as breathtaking as herself. The way she smiles and waves at the audience is neither shy nor overconfident, the attitude of a woman perfectly comfortable with who she is. "Good afternoon." she says through the magical amplifier, and waits for the applause to die out. Her voice is silky-smooth and personal, as if she was addressing every single person in the building one-on-one. "I hope you're all enjoying yourselves at the Silver Spoon." There is a chorus of "yes", and Niabeth engages in a little more "small-talk" with the restaurant's patrons. Obviously, she knows exactly what to do on a stage, and the patrons love her.

Surrounding Niabeth is an yellow aura so powerful that the paladin is almost stunned. Based off of the aura, she is probably either a demon or somebody hideously evil and powerful.

[GameSpawn]

Marienna asks for something relatively cheap and mundane from the menu, along with water. She steadfastly avoids looking at any alcoholic beverages, whether on the page or in classes around her. When Niabeth comes out, she studies the singer, before whispering to her companion, "I think we should probably wait a bit and see if she takes a break, maybe go talk to her then. What do you think?"

[Piggy Knowles]

Emmanuel visibly reels when Niabeth comes out, and quickly dismisses his soul sight. Watching the mundane instead of the colored interplay of souls before him, he takes a deep breath. It is only then that he realizes Marienna was speaking to him.

"Yes, yes, that makes sense," he says. His dark, ruddy knuckles turn almost white where they grip the shaft of his hammer. He reaches for his drink and takes a large swallow before he seems to settle down.

[GameSpawn]

Marienna grimaces slightly when Emmanuel drinks, and turns to watch the singer, waiting for her to take a break, or else for her own spell to begin to wear off.

[Eonas]

Finally, Niabeth begins to sing, with a low, sultry croon which reduces the rest of the room to absolute silence. It is only when she finishes the last notes of the song that everybody starts talking again. For about a half-hour, she sings song after song uninterrupted, until finally a waitress interrupts her. Niabeth follows the waitress back through the door at the other end of the restaurant, talking quietly.

[GameSpawn]

Marienna tenses, drawing in her breath. "Now or never." she mutters to Emmanuel. She gets up to follow the singer through the door.

[Piggy Knowles]

Emmanuel gulps down the rest of his drink and follows, looking around him warily as he goes.

[Eonas]

Several patrons of the restaurant watch the proceedings with slight interest, but nobody tries to stop Emmanuel and Marienna - not even the waitresses, who are either following Niabeth through the door or occupied with serving food.

The room on the other side of the door is a spacious and luxurious dressing room, fitted with mirrors aplenty, several wardrobes, and with a paper-filled table in one corner. Niabeth is in the middle of it, speakin with two waitresses urgently but in low tones.

You overhear Niabeth saying "Is there any way to recover the goods?", and a waitress replying "No, Kerkhins said he'd put it to the mayor if... hey, you've got visitors."

As the two enter the room, Niabeth smiles at them warmly. "Hello, is there anything I can do for you?"

[GameSpawn]

[roll0]

Marienna thinks for a minute, then smiles, "Yes, we've heard that you're a good source of information. We were looking for some children. You wouldn't happen to know where to find them?"

[Eonas]

"There are lots of children in Barusia." she answers with an easy laugh.

[Piggy Knowles]

[roll0]

Emmanuel stands in the room awkwardly, looking everywhere but directly at Niabeth. He crosses his arms in front of himself, hammer clutched close like a security blanket - or a chastity belt.

"There are many children in Barusia," Emmanuel agrees stiffly. "But not all of them are easy to find. Sometimes those in the greatest need are the hardest to find of all, and in this instance their anonymity may hurt them. Do you know of the hidden orphanages?"

[GameSpawn]

After Emmanuel speaks, Marienna glances at the waitresses before looking back at Niabeth.

[Eonas]

She tilts her head to one side. "Some of them, maybe. Why?" The waitresses watch the pair, apparently impassively.

[GameSpawn]

Marienna smiles, "We heard a rumor one might be coming under attack soon."

[Eonas]

"That's too bad. What makes you think I can help?" Niabeth asks. She doesn't exactly sound terribly concerned, but she doesn't sound dismissive either.

[GameSpawn]

Marienna forces herself to keep smiling, "That same rumor mentioned you by name, saying you knew where it was going to happen."

[Eonas]

Niabeth glances at the two waitresses, and with a nod and a smile they quietly walk out of the room and close the door behind them.

"A rumor? I'm afraid I can't help you if you aren't a little more specific." she says, eyebrows arched. "There are a lot of orphanages in the city. Who referred you to me?"

[Piggy Knowles]

Emmanuel frowns. "We are trying to stop a killer who has decided it is not satisfied with four score and ten victims, and has chosen to instead slake its thirst with the blood of orphans," he says, eyes, burning like twin coals, "and you want to quibble over who told us that you might help? Please, even in a city this foul, this sort of thing is beyond the pale. Don't pretend that you need more details than that. Are there two orphanages under such threats? Then by all means, please, tell us. Maybe we can save more lives than we set out to today."

[Eonas]

Niabeth throws her hands in the air helplessly. "This is the first I've heard of it. Come now, tell me what you know. Help me help you."

By the way, I should have mentioned this a while ago. If at any point you mistrust what Niabeth or anybody else says - as well you might - feel free to roll a sense motive check. I'm not going to say "roll sense motive to detect his/her bluff!" because then that would be transparent - therefore, I'm going to have to leave the sense motive thing as your initiative. That sound fair?

[GameSpawn]

Marienna gives an exasperated sigh, "What do you know about a nasty man named Ketrov? He's involved."

[Eonas]

Putting a finger to her forehead thoughtfully, Niabeth pauses. Then she displays her perfect set of teeth again in a laugh. "Wolf sent you here, didn't he? He'd have told you all about me, then. I'll help you, because I like children, and anyway I've got a vested interest in this orphanage." Her voice lowers. "Go to the tailorshop on Barber's Street and tell the owner that Niabeth sends her best regards, and invites you two to see the daisies." She smiles briefly. "That's the password, of course. He'll show you the orphanage, don't you worry. Will that be all?"

[GameSpawn]

Marienna starts at the demon's abrupt change in tone; immediately, she wondered if it might not be some kind of trap.

Using my once/day bonus from Servant of the Heavens; [roll0]

[Piggy Knowles]

Emmanuel narrows his eyes as though considering something. He lets a long pause rest heavily in the air between them before finally speaking. "Forgive me for my imprudence," he says. "I appreciate the help. But - why? I mean, what are these children to you?"

He places a hand on the head of his ghostly hammer. "You have every right to tell me it is none of my business. But I can see... I can see the souls that rest within a man's breast. When it is an evil soul, it burns like a flame. Yours... well, it burns brighter than most," he says. "Almost overwhelmingly so. So I am grateful for your assistance, but I must confess to being curious. Who are you?"

[Piggy Knowles]

Sense Motive: [roll0]

(Sorry for the double post - I forgot the most important part, and I can't edit in die rolls.)

[Eonas]

Emmanuel realizes that even were Niabeth lying, he wouldn't be in a position to realize it.
Niabeth might well be lying, but if so, nothing in her expressions or bearing give it away.

Niabeth looks almost flattered at Emmanuel's comment. "I'm a succubus, young paladin. I've twisted brother against sister and father against son, and if I stood to gain by doing killing those orphans, believe me when I say they'd be dead within hours, and probably you as well. Lucky for you, I have a soft spot for children, and also a material interest in that orphanage. I don't expect you to trust me, but Wolf wouldn't have sent you here if I weren't his last resource. I'm afraid visiting the tailorshop on Barber's Street is the only choice you've got." The Succubus' tone has lost its softness now. Her voice remains quiet and friendly, but it is now as coldly beautiful as a porcelain doll, the sort of voice that men and women would be dashed to pieces against, like waves against the most exquisite crag in the world.

[GameSpawn]

Marienna tenses at the Succubus's chilling words, mentally glad she'd thought to disguise herself and wishing she could have done the same for Emmanuel. Still, Marienna finds Niabeth's new tone more bearable, in it's way, than the poisoned honey that preceded it. She turns to Emmanuel, "I don't have any other questions for our dear friend here. Perhaps it is time for us to take our leave?"

[Piggy Knowles]

Emmanuel nods. He seems deeply relieved to be leaving the succubus' presence. As soon as they are back outside, he sighs, re-summons his hammer and rests it on his shoulder. "Oh, Grandfather, I would rather face a thousand like her on the field of battle than try to understand a creature like that," he says quietly. Then he turns to Marienna. "So... Barber's Street, then?"

[GameSpawn]

Marienna nods, "I think that is wise. I may, at some point need to duck away for a minute, as I did before."

If we start to get close to the duration of alter self ending before we reach Barber's Street, I'll try to find an inconspicuous place to dismiss alter self.

[Eonas]

The route to Barber's Street is short, as it's in the same general area as the Silver Spoon. Dodging through vendors and merchants and eclectic types going afteir their own business like them, Marienna and Emmanuel arrive at a small but reasonably comfortable-looking building whose sign reads "Ekinor's Tailor Shop" in faded blue letters.

When the two enter the shop, they find it remarkably empty - though there are a few tables containing various premade outfits and a counter at the back of the shop, most of the shop's remaining space is unoccupied (the shop is, however, reasonably cleanly kept, which can't be said for many other shops in Barusia). Its sole occupant is standing behind the counter, a middle-aged man whose appearance could best be described as 'mouselike'. He is of diminutive stature and build, the ends of his short hair already greying, his nose so long and crooked that it gives the rest of his face the appearance of being deformed as well by virtue of its being beside the nose. His blue eyes take up a disproportionate amount of space on his face, and convey such an animation that they inevitably act as the focal point of any viewer's gaze. He smiles at the couple, displaying unevenly-spaced but reasonably white teeth. "Hello, welcome to Ekinor's Tailor Shop! How can I help you today?"

The Alter Self spell would still have about a duration of an hour, but if you want to dismiss it you wouldn't have too much trouble finding a secluded corner.

Also, just finished my diploma exams, so hopefully now I'll be able to devote more time to running this game. Thanks for your patience through my spotty post rate.