[D&D 5e] The Cycle of Life and Death - Liezenburg (IC)

[ptdapen]

The three of you are allowed to leave from the city watch outpost on the basis that they had no evidence to hold you further. All of your belongings are returned to you with nothing missing or gained. The easy conclusion is that they do not want to be held responsible for locking up a noblewoman or her retainers. The interrogator, however, crosses his arms as you depart. "You lot best learn to watch your tongues. Not everyone enjoys witty words." However, despite his confrontational attitude towards you he walks away and goes to interrogate more non-humans that were brought in.

Right when you step outside the doorway, you catch a glimpse of a halfling, with his hairy feet bare and exposed, sprinting towards the building you just left. An instant later his head is pierced by an arrow and he slams into the ground motionless and quite dead. The killer is obvious; down the street is a woman with a bow in one hand. Her identity is hidden with a cowl and a scarf right up to her nose. "Before anybody gets into a huff over all this, I work for my liege lord as a bounty hunter!" She takes out a scroll dictating her position. "He was wanted, dead or alive, and I chose dead." She says that final bit with a hint of glee and pep.

The crowds go along with their business; either nobody cares about the killing or they are too afraid to get involved with it.

The OOC Thread is here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?494883-D-amp-D-5e-The-Cycle-of-Life-and-Death-Liezenburg&p=21009645).

[ptdapen]

Natasha: "Milady, is this really something you want to get involved with...?" Natasha whispers over Shikari's shoulder

Calleda (GM): The huntress walks closer to your group and tugs at the arrow in the halfling's skull. By some stroke of luck, she manages to both snap her arrow and shatter his skull open for the pavement to receive its juicy remains.

Shikari frowns as she stares at the huntress in mild annoyance. "What were the charges?"

The Huntress blinks as if she hadn't even thought of it. "Let's see here," she mumbles as she pulls out another scroll. "Ah right, he was a burglar."

Shikari: "I see. You have paperwork, with the family seal on it?"

The Huntress: "Ugh, yes, the seal is right on there. You're awfully nosy."

Shikari: "Considering this fine city wasted my time with random inconvenience, I am obliged some curiosity upon finding murder right outside their watch... with only your word and the absurdness of striking in the middle of an open street as proof of your position."

The Huntress narrows her eyes and starts with, "Who ar-" but cuts herself off. She takes a moment to examine Shikari's clothing and bows her head. "Forgive me for my impudence," she states with sincerity.

Shikari simply nods, as she gestures at the building behind her. "Please report to the city watch, to handle this matter. They can send word to your lord, and it'll clear up shortly enough."

The Huntress lowers her cowl and her scarf. "I would but I typically take the bodies to him myself. Or, well, one of his assistants."

Shikari simply closed her eyes, as Gilliam would hear a much more mature, and serious woman's voice resounding through his mind. "She annoys me."

Gilliam: Acknowledging the statement, Gilliam will pick up the woman and heft her off away from Shikari.

Natasha sighs, checking her bowstring. "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind..."

The Huntress is suddenly tossed across the street and lands with a thud. "Wh-what are you doing?! I'm an agent of the law!"

Shikari: "You were asked to provide proof too the authorities and resisted the very notion... Natasha, can you maintain the body, for investigation?"

Natasha: "I can at least make his clothes nice." Natasha kneels by the halfling and begins to halfheartedly cast Mending on anything torn, though she doesn't really care about finishing the cantrip if something more important happens.

The Huntress: "It's on he-ow, still hurts. Look!"

Calleda (GM): The seal is recognizable as the sigil of Hourse Lorenz, the most local duke of the Coalition.

Shikari sighed softly, waving a hand at the huntress. "Gilliam, Natasha, let her be. We will visit Duke Lorenz."

Natasha: "Hold on, think I've found something..." Natasha stands up, holding out the purses. "This what he was accused of stealing? 'Cause it looks like a pittance next to a life."

The Huntress: "Where are you lot even from? He's just a halflin' anyways."

Natasha steps back beside Shikari and Gilliam. "We're from the Moral Highlands. And you?"

The Huntress: "I-I... what?"

Shikari stared in further annoyance. "As you can imagine, I travel with unique retainers. Perhaps our world view is not nearly as isolated as your own. More to the point, I do not like it when arrows fly into skulls before me. It is.... gross." The princess put on an especially youthful spin with that last bit...

The Huntress stands there without any words. She looks back and forth between the corpse and Shikari.

Natasha: "Come, mistress. We're wasting time with pawns when we know the king by name. Or duke, in this case."

Shikari: "I suppose... I should... lodge a complaint... or at least demand answers for why this happened like this. He seemed like a weak halfling..."

The Huntress: "D-doesn't matter if they're weak, miss. They're dangerous in other ways."

Natasha: "Petty theft is hardly grounds for brutal murder in the streets in broad daylight, even in this delightful little corner of the world."

The Huntress points at the paper again. "He broke into houses too. He wasn't just a pickpocket."

Natasha: "That man could have tended someone's fields or livestock, worked a tavern, or any number of more productive things to pay for his crime."

Shikari: "He could have had a use... now he is less than worthless, causing everyone in the street problems."

The Huntress: "You don't understand; he had no use! He was a filthy rodent. He'll soon be out of everybody's way, out of sight, out of mind."

Natasha 's fists tighten and shoulders hunch, though she restrains herself from any more severe response.

Shikari: "Gilliam, take me to the Duke's residence... I tire of this woman..."

Natasha mutters something darkly as they take their leave of the huntress, followed by a crack of thunder overhead. (Thaumaturgy.)

Gilliam dusts off his shoulder, then lifts up Shikari to sit on it as he walks away, toward the Duke's residence.

The Huntress does not bother with goodbyes and picks up the halfling's corpse from the ground. She drags it off from whence she came.



Summary: Meeting The Huntress

The party learned that the halfling was killed on the charges of burglary. The killer, an appointed bounty huntress of House Lorenz, was impudent until she realized she was dealing with nobility and her retainers. She was tossed aside by Gilliam but offered no more resistance. The party and her exchanged moral debates on the murder before it was decided that they would head to the Duke's residence. Before they left the city...

Calleda (GM): As you proceed to the exit, Natasha catches a cloaked, human-sized figure tailing the lot of you. As soon as the two notice each other, however, the stranger ducks away into an alley.

Natasha: "Ojou-sama, we've been followed..." Natasha whispers just loud enough to reach Shikari's distant ears

Shikari: "I bet that woman is scared she's going to be in trouble~"
"Split off, and tail us. Cover our rear."
"Gilliam, protect me, we are likely to be attacked soon. Act as though we don't notice."

Natasha nods and disappears into the streets, burying her armor in a plain traveling cloak. It's somewhat nostalgic of the rebellion days. Less hungry though.

Calleda (GM): You proceed through the city without any inhibitions. Nobody accosts the princess nor her retainers.
People may have gawked at the girl on a goliath's shoulders but no signs of hostility.

Calleda (GM): You and the group are stopped, however, when you reach the city walls. The gate is lowered and two guards standby outside of the tower.

Shikari would look down at the guards from her shoulder mount. "We will be taking a trip outside."

City Guard 1 looks up at the mounted princess. "What in the...?"

City Guard 2 nudges his comrade. "Don't mind him. May I ask what your business is leaving the city?"

Shikari: "A visit to your Duke, of course. I won't be kept in such a graphic display without at least speaking with him."

City Guard 1: "T-the duke? What could you..."

City Guard 2: "I told you to be quiet!"

"Ahem, well, he does have a point. We've orders to make sure we know why anyone is leaving. Details are important."

Shikari: "And now you know."

City Guard 2 looks to his fellow guard whom shrugs back at him. "Well, I suppose the Duke's men can assess your visit."
City Guard 2: "All I need now is names of those departing."

Shikari: "I am Shikari vir Seiryou, this is my knight Gilliam and spiritual instructor Natasha."

The guards nod and signal for the gates to be lifted for you to depart.

Summary: Departing the "Fair" City

The party proceeded to the exit as planned. Natasha, the spiritual adviser, spotted a figure tailing them but lost track of them shortly afterward. No sign of this tail resurfaced; they made it to the gates without trouble. The City Guards performed a routine check on the noblewoman before letting her through the city gates.

[ptdapen]

As you traverse the road to the Duke's castle, you notice an outpost of sorts. The men, and a couple women, wear the same uniforms as the city watch. Some carry pikes while others carry swords and shields. One man in particular stands out with more regalia. One of his swords is already unsheathed and rests on his shoulder while his other hand rests on his other blade's hilt. Including him, you count ten heads among them. They possess a few a wagon and loose barricades set up. If approached, they ask you to halt but do not otherwise approach you.

Behind you, you hear the galloping of a horse. Upon inspection, it's clear that it is the huntress from the city encountered earlier. On the back of the saddle is a sack with blood seeping through it, presumably the halfling she killed on the streets earlier.

Perception Checks please!

For Elfbird (Passive Perception): You notice a ruffling in the bushes both to the left and right of the road. You cannot ascertain what is there, however.

For Everyone: You notice that one of the guards has dried blood on the right side of his abdomen.

[ptdapen]

I'm too lazy at the moment to copy the logs and make another summary. I'm assuming you guys remember what happened: fake toll, kill them all, lecture Sieghild some more.

Also I wanted to revise the loot list to be make more sense cause I rushed it before. Here is the chests contents:
2 Statuettes
1 Painting
1 Healer's Kit
1 Cook's Utensils
85 Copper Pieces
63 Silver Pieces
24 Gold Pieces

There are also some provisions such as backpacks, bedrolls, and so on in the wagon. They are well-worn which suggests usage.

Half-way through the princess' nap, the two retainers notice some ruffling in the bushes off the road on both sides much like earlier. This time though the cause is much more clear; there are two groups of goblins failing to keep themselves quiet or hidden. You count eight heads per group, with one in each wearing a ramshackle crown.

It is basic knowledge that their kind is rarely welcome if at all in Coalition lands. General consensus is that goblins are either on missions for the Goblinoid Dominion or out to take what does not belong to them. They are technically welcome under the "unity" clause and would be killed on sight if not for the tense ceasefire between the two governments.

Still, neither set of goblins appear to be openly hostile to your group. They try to keep out of sight and are wary of any movements that you may have but otherwise do not have their weapons primed to attack you. Instead, they appear to be picking apart the corpses of the archers and the fleeing guards you killed earlier. If not stopped, they pilfer the bodies of everything on them. Even the clothing is torn apart and stashed away as salvage.

[Elfbird]

Natasha

Upon noticing the goblins rummaging about, Natasha gets up from her comfy spot on the ground and goes to stand guard with Gilliam, bow ready but no arrow yet nocked.
"What do you think, Gilliam?" She says in a voice low enough to hopefully not disturb the sleeping princess. "Tensions are pretty high between the Coalition and the goblin kingdoms; rumors of a war breaking out at any moment, really. Getting involved could be really bad or really fun, depending on Her Grace's intentions..."

Any goblins caught poking around our cart will be shot dead; otherwise Natasha will continue her vigil until orders come or the situation changes.