The Years Have Not Been Well to Thee

[EvilRoeSlade]

Wir, 19th of Zarantyr, 998 YK
Breland, Well Run Dry Trading Post

The patrons and employees of the Well Run Dry awaken not to the frigid but pristine winter that greeted them outside the window during the night, but to several feet of solid snow. For most of the places inhabitants, this would be a disheartening sight indeed, but for the party of five that had checked in to the inn last night, there was scarcely any justification for complaint. After struggling through the cold Blackcaps in the aftermath of an ill-fated airship crash, relying on each other to find warmth, shelter, and sustenance in that order, they had now discovered the somewhat isolated Well Run Dry, an oasis of civilization at the foot of the mountains. If they had not arrived tonight, the sudden heavy snowfall would have surely meant annihilation.

Owned independently but sanctioned by House Ghallanda nonetheless, the Well Run Dry took advantage of the traffic on the road between Cragwar and Xandrar to provide hospitality and wares for travelers, and a place where merchants might lighten their loads as well as meet with colleagues and rivals to discuss business on neutral ground. The five survivors had met only with Grauff the proprietor before turning in for the night. A grim dwarf of few words, Grauff had only expressed sympathy at their tale after being assured that they possessed the fee for room and board.

You are the amongst the first ones up. Grauff is nowhere to be seen, but a human waitress tends to you, offering you hot porridge and somewhat bland tea free of charge. A figure in an ornate fur coat, ebony with turquoise trimming, is the only other patron who has left their bed in the blue-black cold of the morning.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"I'm enjoying the fire, sure enough; but I begin to doubt if I'll ever get rid of the chill in my bones." He sipped the tea and grimaced as it scalded his tongue. He immediately went for another sip.

"Shame that I lost my gameroll up in those mountains, or we could have a game of stones while we breakfasted. Feels a little bit strange to have a roof over heads, eh? No worries about staving off exposure and starvation, eh? Thank the Host."

[KIDS]

Raven

Raven is exceedingly glad to be warm and safe (as far as that term goes anyway) and seems recuperated from all their hardships already; or at very least one would say so from his emerald eyes darting around. "We could have ended up much worse than in a quality inn with warm air, good food and moderate prices. Wait, scratch that last word..." The half-elf makes a "face" with obviously feigned mockery and takes a spoonful of porridge for himself. He takes some effort to be polite and waits until his mouth's clear before speaking. "Do you think we might be trapped here for a long time? We can resort to telling tales of old and improvising poetry if the snow lasts." Raven spares a quick gaze for the oher stranger, wondering what brought that one here and wraps his brown linen cloak around himself protectively. Even in the well warmed room, it never hurts to be warmer still.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil scratched his face as he considered the snow outside. He had shaved the bushy yellow growth that had accumulated during their ordeal in the mountains, revealing again the craggy fault-line that ran down his right cheek. He adjusted his woven cap as he slowly replied, "I wouldn't know. I never paid much attention to the weather. As long as things stayed dry inside the library, my father didn't mind so much. Ardev's mostly a plain, anyway; and I figure that up here in the mountains weather patterns are different."

He looked at the cuff of his tunic, now stained with travel and beginning to fray in places, and called to the serving woman. "Excuse me, is there any place to wash our clothes? I thank you for lending me a brush for my leathers last night, but I still need to launder my other things." He looked at the others. "Anyone else not have a clean change of clothes?"

[KIDS]

Raven

Raven chuckled good-heartedly. "Among other things, no," he shrugged. It didn't concern him much at a time; now sheltered from the snow outside, he could suffer going less clothed for a short time while he had to wash himself or other things. "Just another thing on the list that I will have to reform from scattered shards when we reach civilization. You know... well, the actual civilization." Raven had the youhtful, upbeat, charming appearance of someone used to pulling out the best of the world's hardships and whining at those that were too grim. Being of elven heritage he hadn't grown any beard in their travels, though his wavy dark hair was trussled as a legacy of their journey. But apart from that, he was an elegant fellow who wore optimism like a cloak, something usually desired in your friends.

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira glances down at her tunic, shaking her head. "No," she admits. The tan tunic and breeches are sturdy travel garments, and weathered their time in the mountains well, but they could use a good washing. "I'd have given all of them for one set of warmer clothing, though. It is lucky we arrived when we did." The young woman looks about the room, her short brown hair no longer covered by her kerchief for the first time in days, and then turns to her breakfast. She takes the cup of weak tea in her hand and sips it, enjoying the warmth and the taste; apparently, she is perfectly content with both it and the bland porridge. Then again, she has not yet complained at any food they have had, even the trail rations they were forced to fall back upon the last several days of their journey.

[Velvet Elvis]

Hesiq stood a half dozen feet away, nearer the fire, wringing the hearth's warmth into hands that had nearly suffered frostbite on the trek through the Blackcaps. His pants, somewhat puffed in the southern styles, with narrow slits to reveal the pale yellow lining beneath the midnight blue fabric that led to black at the knees and below, were still embarrassingly limp. It seemed no matter how long he spent attempting to dry them completely, enough moisture remained to ruin the intended effect, not to mention the vague irritation of the cloth tending to cling to the bare skin beneath.

With a scratch to his brow, he turned and strode back to the table. His shoes, resembling perhaps too much the slippers that went with a nightshirt and cap, were utterly silent along the floor.

"Perhaps we can find another set if we ever get to Fairhaven," he said to Ibrigil, picking at the rather sticky porridge with the small wooden spoon provided.

His shoulders suddenly slumped as he remembered yet again that there was almost no point in worrying about his meeting in Fairhaven. Like Ibrigil's game set, Hesiq's package of scrolls intended for his somewhat mysterious contractor, had been lost, though in the crash, rather than along the way. All that work, just wasted like that, he thought to himself and sighed dejectedly.

His chin found an upturned palm and rested there, his pointy goatee crushed and bent to the side in the process. Staring at his porridge as if it were a lump of raw clay, he said to it, "That is, if we're still headed there. I've lost my purpose, and in fact, might be better off not going at all." He spoke idly as if to himself, and was still reluctant to mention anything related to the person--if it was a single person, at all--that expected to receive the scrolls. He'd harbored a faint sense of unease during the entire process, but the prospect of such good return on his time, even though he wasn't paid a single thin coin up front, was impossible to deny. Though he had a direct hand in preparing and scribing the scrolls, it was an agent of his employer that provided the character by character instruction he needed to create the inscrutable words. More than once he'd considered what sort of penalty might be exacted if he were to have refused, botched the job or otherwise failed to perform as expected. Now it was something real, and the closer he got to Fairhaven, the more real it may become.

With a shrug and a few ounces of will, he dismissed the concerns, and began to eat, taking a sip of hot tea here and there.

"As for my clothes, this is all I have at the moment. I lost one of my packs, as well as other items. It contained my other clothes, of course," he added with a smirk, finally addressing the other question.

[Deepblue706]

Puck

Peter "Puck" Wigby, a short and weasly-like fellow, entered the hall with a roar of a yawn. His blonde hair was unkempt, and reached a bit over his brow, concealing a set of deep blue eyes - which were not even half-open, as was apparent as he stumbled through the mostly-vacant tavern. In the plain, poor-man's clothes he always wore, he slowly made steps towards the others, dragging his feet a little, scratching himself every few seconds. "Huh?" Puck glances to and fro, a bit confused about the situation, but then is distracted by the porridge and tea. "So, uh, how's everyone doing?" he asks half-heartedly, his eyes finally more than quarter-drawn, as they gaze upon the free breakfast.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil pulled off the woven cap he was wearing--one of several he owned, although this one was woolen--and looked at it critically. "If it's all the same to you," he added as he picked at a stain, "I'd just as soon re-enter civilization feeling civilized. There'll probably come a day when I'm more used to the soil and dust of travel like this; but right now I still have a librarian's sensitivity to grime. My father would disown me if I tried to handle his scrolls in this condition."

He dropped the hat into his lap with a sigh, and looked at the others with his black eyes. "I guess it doesn't matter now, anyway. I guess this is what Nack meant by 'campaign conditions;' so I might as well get used to it. I'll just brush them out, too."

"I could make a new board, if I have to. I made a couple like that when I was a kid. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8," he made invisible lines with his hands; "The Great, the Lesser, and the Corner. It's easy enough; but the one I lost was much more portable than anything I'd scratch on a plank. I'd rather not use my parchment for it, though."

[Velvet Elvis]

Hesiq Tarook

His slumping posture was dismissed and Hesiq straightened up, looking more like his usual self. The crumpled goatee, likewise, was convinced to straighten out between a thumb and forefinger as he gazed thoughtfully for a moment into the space between himself and everyone else.

"You know, I was thinking something while we were playing earlier this week, but neglected to mention it then," he began, now looking to Ibrigil, "I don't think this game is played much up north, if at all. I tend to think we might be able to market it there, and wherever else it hasn't taken root yet. I could design special pieces to reflect certain historical events or ones for particular hobbyists, and perhaps you could rework a few of the rules to better imagine things related to them. Simple changes, but ones that make it seem as though the game were specially suited to it. We could make expensive boards with gold inlays for the lines, pieces studded with colored gems to differentiate them--for the rich folk, of course."

He seemed to have forgotten about the other annoyances of their situation as he slipped into the mode of a tinker and merchant.

"What I was imagining, though, as something even the royalty would find absolutely irresistible--and, of course, much too opulent for the general masses--is a board with pieces that moved on their own, just by being told to do so. Yes, tricky, I know, but I've been studying much about small constructs and think this could be the seed of something truly profitable. Not to mention incredibly fascinating to work on. Certainly moreso than the things I've drudged over for the last couple of years."

The final blob of porridge was consumed, as were the last dregs from his tea cup, now entirely cold. He dusted his hands together to no apparent end save to satisfy some innate, unconsciously observed ritual, then brought things back to a more pragmatic viewpoint.

"That'd be grand, but like everything else, we'll need to get ourselves out of here first," he said, his enthusiasm having died down already. A glance was thrown toward one window, the lower corners of each pane rimmed in snow like talc-dusted cobwebs, and he shrugged in obvious disappointment. "And that doesn't look entirely likely to happen right away. I'm not at all interested in dragging myself through more snow." A momentary pause, still peering through the frosted glass. "I wonder how long these flurries last around here? Perhaps that Gruff...Growf, whatever his name was, knows--he should, I'd think."

Hesiq sat back and pulled lightly at the sleeves of his dark blue tunic, the cuffs of which ended higher than current fashion would deem valid, but which might approve of the four triangular notches, each traced in silver threads. They looked nice, but appeared to serve no proper function.

"So, anyone have any stunning ideas on how we can accomplish our escape from this place? We also need to get proper word out about the crash, I suppose, though Lyrandar probably already knows. Automatic sending devices, I think I once read about, in all the new ships. The Sunbeam looked quite new to me, so I figure...." He allowed his thought to drift off, perhaps tiring of his own flood of words that seemed to have warmed him to his natural demeanor enough for the moment.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Eventually, the barmaid, who had been giggling at something that the other patron had said, arrives. She's a shifter, with a human form that has been twisted with bestial traits: Yellow and paranoid eyes, an upturned, dog-like snout, and wild hair that leads down to long sideburns. She have appears to have only barely reached puberty.

M'sorry Lord, she says, cringing as though expecting to be struck. Master Grauff says we can't spare no water for washin' until the snows cleared away. Shouldn' be more'n a few days 'till a crew arrives. Till then ehh... w'could see if Masters got anythin' to sell ya. She looks around guiltily and then lowers her voice. Else if ya value ya coin-purses, y'might just ask one a th'other guests if y'could borrow some clothes. Her gaze falls squarely on Ibrigil and narrows. Magewright Kelthis s'bout your size. Ain't no sin to wake him up neither, he was s'posed to be down here t'speak with Master 'bout an hour ago, and there ain't no one in this world Master hates more'n someone whose tardy when business is due. She stands silently before the table, waiting to see if anything else is required of her.

[Deepblue706]

Puck, consuming his porridge quickly, pokes his head up. He was finally a bit more awake than earlier - his eyes were fully open and alert, though the wild look they always had suggested a poor sense of surrounding and a slight touch of general bewilderment. Being the clumsy and uncivilized man he is, the bard seems to have gotten some of his food on his shirt. "This is delicious! Can I have some more?" He seems genuinely excited as he lifts up his bowl to the barmaid. With his other hand, he sips on his tea - his eyes gazing over the cup, anticipating more of what he deemed to be one of the best meals he's ever had.

[KIDS]

Raven cackles quietly to himself upon hearing the time estimate. Few days, eh? He could predict a lot of chewing nails in nervous anticipation...
Despite the immediate thought, something catches his eye on the small Shifter's gestures. Her bearing does convey shyness and a twinge of fear more than most adults who conceal that well. Perhaps this master grauff has a heavy hand. After a moment, Raven draws his eyes away. "What is your name?" he asks with honest curiousity and not just to break (un)comfortable silence when she falls silent. The half-elf seems to contemplate giving some secretive sign to his companions but does nothing except await an answer and nod thanks when the servant departs; his thoughts appear to have entered some melancholic circle...

[Velvet Elvis]

Hesiq Tarook

Hesiq's wooden spoon is tossed lightly into the empty porridge bowl, spins around once and slumps into the center as the serving girl arrives. He was about to test the others again for ideas on how to expedite their departure from this less than desirable place, but abandoned it for now.

He snorted derisively at the refusal to provide water, and said to Ibrigil, "By the horns of a devil! Just walk outside with a bucket and a spade and you'll find enough water to drown us all. A few minutes over the fire and...." He allows a finger snap to serve the rest. "Speaking of which," he asks the brutish-looking wench, "where does this crew hail from, and where do they go when they leave?"

[EvilRoeSlade]

The barmaid grins broadly at Puck, displaying large canines. Thank ya lord! Made it m'self ya know. Tricks t'add just a pinch a salt. Humans don't seem t'care so much for it, but it's th'only thing m'allowed t'put in except oats'n water. Names Dolly. She picks up each empty bowl, licks her fingers as she balances them on one hand, and then turns to leave. Mmm... don't know nothin' about no crew though, they never showed up before while I was here.

She doesn't return with extra porridge for a while, as the room is now getting crowded. A rich couple arrives from above, demanding a more satisfying breakfast which Dolly scurries to prepare, while a group of dour Breland soldiers start their morning with tankards of ale. Seasoned travelers and merchant walk past the dining area on the way to the lounge and selling floor. Patrons however, are few this time of year.

Eventually Grauff stumps into the room, accompanied by a short, black-bearded man and a hobgoblin bodyguard. Where the hell is the magewright, we were supposed to begin hours ago! The dead don't sleep this long...

Grauff doesn't respond at first, he tilts his head as if distracted by something else. Eventually he replies. It ain't like ye've got somethin' better to do. He'll rouse himself whenever he bloody does and I'll give him hell for it in due time. In the meantime, find something else to do, I need to check on the horses. Grauff heads to the kitchen entrance while his companion disappears through the back room with a grumble, leaving his bodyguard at the bar.

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira eats a trifle more slowly than either Hesiq or Puck, listening to Hesiq's musings with some bemusement. As a result, despite hastily scooping up the last few spoonfuls as Dolly takes the empty plates, Miira is not quite finished by the time the maid leaves. She looks at the table with some chagrin. Today, of course, it did not matter how fast she ate, because they had nowhere to go, but had she really gotten into the habit of lingering over her meals? A few months ago, she would never have done that. A month of vice can undo years of virtue, she reminds herself.

As the common room begins to grow more crowded, she looks out the windows again. No, it would not be good to venture out in that snowfall, even if they could get warmer clothing. Occasionally, there had been snowfalls that heavy where she grew up, and she knew enough that venturing out before the snow on the roads was solidly packed down or cleared away would be futile. The delay would normally worry at her like a persistent fly, but she also knows she doesn't really have anywhere to be... which is equally awkward. She realizes she's idly pushing the few remaining scraps of porridge—now cold—around the bowl with her spoon, and stops, schooling herself to stillness. "Who is it that clears the snow here?" she asks her companions, simply to break the silence; the rest of the room was noisier now, but everyone else at the table was quiet at the moment.

[KIDS]

Raven observes the commotion within the tavern with some interest, noting faces and pondering intentions with frantic mental effort though they have all the time in the world. In the group of three, however, it is the hobgoblin bodyguard that catches his eye for the longest moment. How is life like if you are paid for watching over someone? Does he put effort into his training and does he mourn if his employer is killed? Granted, seeing how it is a hobgoblin, the answer is quite easy but still....

"Perhaps you could help them instead of this sleepy magewright?" the half-elf suggests to Hesiq when Dolly is not around to overhear their conversation. "Or any of us, depending on what these are looking for. It might earn us a better deal around these place - and we will be trapped here for quite some time it seems." Contrary to Miira, he is someone who doesn't mind the silence - at least he doesn't feel it is uncomfortable - so her words are at first skipped over. "Not us, I hope. But I would imagine people just hunk down in their houses and weather it rather than clean the area."

[Velvet Elvis]

Hesiq Tarook

With a shrug to Miira, Hesiq remarks a bit sarcastically, "Apparantly it's a secret. If it matters, I suppose you'll have to ask Grauff. I only wondered where they came from and where they would leave to in case it might provide an opportunity to tag along to a place that would bring us closer to where we wanted to go. Not to mention I'd expect them to have a snow-capable vehicle of some sort, which, I'm sad to note, we don't have. Hmmmm...."

He'd just thought of something to ask Grauff, seeing as how the serving girl seemed unaware of some of the mundane workings of this place, but the proprietor seemed bothered and had already, once again, moved out of sight.

Hesiq smirked, then commented on Raven's remark. "It seems this magewright is a rather heavy sleeper. I can't help but be curious as to what they want with him, or what Grauff expected of him. Perhaps the man's afraid to come down. Those two don't look the type to be delivering daisies and chocolates, and Grauff is clearly no sweetheart, either." He finished with a snicker. More seriously, he adds, "Something tells me it might be best to avoid becoming entangled in any of it."

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

His lips twitched at the girl's response--though whether it was because of her seeming ignorance of the simple fact Hesiq pointed out, or because of the unflattering sketch that was emerging of their host, Ibrigil himself wasn't sure.

"Since it looks like we're here for a while, I'm going to check the selling floor. Perhaps one of the merchants carries a simple set of board and stones. At least we'd be able to play to pass the time." He looks around at the others expectantly, then rises.

[EvilRoeSlade]

The selling floor, while quite expansive, isn't at its capacity. A burly and thick-browed Karranthian is setting up a supply of weapons, a pair of unwashed and rough-looking men are selling foodstuff, clothing, and other odds and ends, a dark-skinned woman is selling stone carvings and jewelry, and a gnome of House Sivis is present to aid in legal transactions. Grauff is here as well, overseeing everything. Spotting Ibrigil, he stumps over. For a moment he simply tilts his head and stares at the wall. Then abruptly his attention jerks toward the human. Buyin' or sellin'?

Dolly returns with more tasteless porridge for those who request, giving Puck an especially generous helping. Her eyes narrow as she peers at Hesiq. Been workin' here all m'life and it never snowed before, she offers unbidden. But Master Grauff says a crews comin', and so I s'pose a crew'll b'comin.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"At the moment, I'm still looking. Any of these merchants likely to carry a stones board? I don't need a fancy one, just something serviceable. You wouldn't--that is, do you happen to have one that you make available to your patrons, Master Grauff?"

[EvilRoeSlade]

Grauff bows his head slightly, and then suddenly lifts his head up, looking past Ibrigil. Don't usually see much games selling in the winter time. Aye. I've got a stone board in the back. It should do you. How does five silver sound?

[Velvet Elvis]

Hesiq Tarook

"Good luck finding a replacement board, Gil. I'll stay here where it's still warm. And since I have so little to spare on necessities, the last thing I need is some zealous hawker convincing me out of my last bit of coin."

He watched his friend trundle off toward the selling floor, then sat back. When Dolly arrived again, Hesiq's eyebrows shot up at her claim. It seemed preoposterous, here at the foot of a major mountain chain.

"Are you serious?" he asked incredulously. "Then what do you make of it? This isn't just a light dusting to be passed off so trivially, if you ask me. Aren't you deadly curious to know what's behind it?" He didn't care at all if she asked him, but the point was made. All her life here, snowless, then this without even the expected eager comment to visitors about how odd it was. One would think it would be the biggest topic of conversation, not a deformed sibling in the attic. Didn't seem right.

Then again, Hesiq was often given to see conspiracies behind unexpected, unpredictable events. Some call it superstition. He considers it an observational tool--something to prompt him to get to the bottom of things. To know how and why it happened. If a scroll he'd written to create a gallon of water produced wine, instead, he wouldn't just shrug and ignore it--it would be, at the very least, an event to discuss, if not immediately investigate.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil chuckled. "I couldn't say yes or no until I had a chance to see it; but it sounds like we could work something out." He followed Grauff to see what he had.

Assuming that it's not a piece of crap, Ibrigil will offer four silver on principle, but pay five if Grauff insists.

BTW, "Gil" is a fine nickname. It's what his mother called him. (His father always used his full name.)

[KIDS]

"I..wait..." Raven echoes after Dolly incredulously, though he didn't ask for any more porridge nor expected one. The half-elf's emerald eyes stop darting around anf focus at the servant girl. "It never snowed here before?" In particular, while he never had any remarkable abilities concerning such events, to him weather changes were interesting to say the least. Afterall, a lot of his kin prided themselves on their skills of keeping the enviroment under control.

"Ah well. We live in an age of changes, or something like that," he concedes the moment of surprise to himself, though eagerly listening for an answer to Hesiq's question. And while he has little more than a passing interest in the board game, it sure will help pass the time. At the moment, he is glad for the company and knows that it could have been much worse.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Dolly stares at Hesiq for a long moment, her cat-like eyes narrowed. Wasn't curious 'til ya mentioned it, she says at long last. Figured sometimes things just happen n' nobody knows why. Course, mebbe someone oughta find out why.

Grauff nods and stumps away, moving through the kitchen and pausing, meeting Dolly's eye. Girl. Go up to Kelthis' room and dump snow on the sod. Dolly looks delighted at the prospect, and hurries back into the kitchen to retrieve a pot, a feral grin on her face all the while. A blast of cold air shoots through the room when she opens up the entrance and scoops up a heap of snow with a pan, scampering eagerly up the stairs toward the rooms. For his part, Grauff disappears into the storeroom, slamming the door behind him.

Shortly after Dolly vanishes up the staircase, you hear an inhuman shriek permeating through the entire post.

[Velvet Elvis]

Hesiq Tarook

A look of exasperated amusement graced Hesiq's relatively ruddy face, accented by a mild head shake. "Well, there you go! It's odd. Someone should probably find out. Good enough for you?" he inquires of Raven, with lighthearted sarcasm.

He was halfway through an arm stretch when the scream cut through the place. His pleasant, relaxed demeanor instantly dropped away and his olive-green eyes darted in the direction of the stairway leading up to the boarding floor. Rigidly, he flicked his gaze toward each of the others at the table as if to gauge their reactions.

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira's gaze follows Dolly up the stairs as if curious, but she returns her eyes to the table as the serving maid vanishes from sight. She starts violently at the shriek, her right hand moving reflexively across to her waist. Her sword, of course, is not there; it's lying in her room, and she settles back down, feeling slightly foolish. And wishing her sword wasn't so far from her hand. No, stop that. It is as safe here as anywhere in these lands, and it isn't proper to carry a sword about to meals.

She looks directly at Hesiq as he speaks—not that that is odd; Miira usually meets the eyes of anyone she's listening to—taking his words quite seriously. "Do you think we should?" Now that she thinks about it, it does seem odd for a settlement so close to the mountains not to have known heavy snowfalls before. Or had Dolly meant any snow? That would make this deep snowfall beyond merely odd. Occasional snows should not be so heavy, she knows.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil waited patiently for Grauff to return with the board; but the shriek startled and unnerved him. His neck swiveled as he looked for its source.

[EvilRoeSlade]

The shriek has obviously come from upstairs.

[Deepblue706]

Puck cackles, spitting up a bit of the porridge, as he imagines the look on the face of the poor victim who he assumed was now disgruntled for the startling cold of the snow. What a prank! He sits with a wide grin, trying to hold in his laughter.

[KIDS]

Raven jumped in his seat as the scream reached his ears, with a rather panicked expression on his face. But summing two and two came quite fast, and he realized that it was just the reaction to cold snow suddenly tossed at one's sleeping head. Well... it was snow, wasn't it?

"Poor fellow," Raven replies, scratching his nose idly. "I-I mean, it's just snow, but that had to hurt. Imagine that being dumped on you while asleep," he feigns a shudder. It's just snow. Has to be. "I would like to know what's going on with the weather here. Look at that snow. That kind of devilry is a huge amount of coincidence, too big to believe. And... if you'll excuse me...I need to see something." Getting up as the overworked twitchy nerves get the better of him, Raven stands up and heads upstairs to soothe them. He has his armor on, but no weapons, not even a dagger which he left in his own room.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil was halfway to the stairs before Raven's overheard remark drew him up short. Of course. How else would he react to a sudden potful of snow? He walked quickly back to the storeroom door before Grauff could return with the game.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Down the darkly lit hall, the subdued murmuring from the kitchen and common rooms are nothing more than unknowable murmurs of no comfort. Raven finds Dolly outside the door to one of the rooms, slumped against the wall, shivering. Her pot lies discarded in the doorway, which is still ajar. Snow crunches beneath his feet as he approaches.

Of course, the scream was not a sound of shock or surprise, but one of genuine agony, a noise no human could have produced, and thus could only have spilled from the shifter's lips. Dolly is mewling like a kitten. It wasn't me, she murmurs over and over again. I didn't do it.

[Velvet Elvis]

Hesiq Tarook

Hesiq's shoulders relax slightly, and he leans back in his chair a small bit, though his eyes peer suspiciously toward the stairway.

"You think that was the magewright with a face full of snow? Maybe. Sounded like something else, to me," he said with obvious lack of certainty.

Raven rose and excused himself, heading toward the stairs. Hesiq requested he let them all know what had happened, when he returned.

Noting the rather lackluster response of the rest of the patrons, he gained a modicum of confidence that he was overreacting to what amounted to a practical joke. To that, he shrugged and actually smiled weakly, spreading his hands across his face in a quick movement intending to emulate the snow being thrown into the victim's face.

"Heh...."

His nerves remained on edge.

[KIDS]

"What, Dolly? What happened?" Raven approaches closer and crouches near the shifter, though keeping an eye out on the door and not touching her. When he realized that it was indeed her scream, his hand started trembling too - better to keep secret. "Hesiq! Come up now!" he loudly calls in the direction of downstairs. He waits for an answer from Dolly for a few moments but then rises to his feet and carefully peers into the room.

[roll0]

[EvilRoeSlade]

Most of the patrons seem initially stunned by the noise. Eventually they begin murmuring amongst themselves, shifting uneasily. The hobgoblin bodyguard places a hand on his sword, and then eventually rises and disappears through the same door that his ward had earlier departed to.

Dolly is unresponsive, in a state of shock.

Stepping closer to the room, Raven nearly slips in a thick and slimy pool of... liquid. The room is unlit and windowless, but with the vision of his elven ancestors, Raven can make out something that glistens. An unmoving, man-shaped form can be made out in the dim light, raised above the ground, arms spread out.

[Deepblue706]

Puck

Realizing he may have made a wrong assesment of the situation, Peter freezes where he is, a spoon full of porridge held in his unmoving hand, inches from his face. He drops the utensil and immediately stands up, looking on from afar.

After a moment of hesitation, he runs to Dolly, anxious for an answer. "Are you alright? What happened?" He asks, a hand on her shoulder.

[EvilRoeSlade]

The shifer adolescent tenses for a brief moment upon Puck's touch, and her lips pull back as she bares her teeth. But after a moment any sign of aggression is gone and she seems to take comfort in his presence.

I didn't do it, she whimpers. It was like this when I got here. I didn't do nothing.

[KIDS]

Supressing an urge to vomit at the sight, Raven advances further into the room, feeling his head spinning from the avalanche of gruesome thoughts set free in there. "Puck! Bring light over here - the man here has been killed - or worse..."
Thinking how the part of the investigator let alone a soothing warm person who quells others' fears just doesn't suit him, he takes several steps towards the body and looks around. His first instinct would be to open a window, but there just aren't any - yet another mystery that he can't comprehend at the moment. He looks around any tables or wardrobes, vainly trying to ensure that whomever did this is not still around...

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira is somewhat on edge, fidgeting—which is unusual for her. Something doesn't seem right to her. At Raven's shout, she rises even before Hesiq, nearly knocking her chair over. She steadies it with a hand, and heads up the stairs after Raven and Puck.

She arrives at the top of the stairs just in time to hear Raven, her hand going instinctively to the knife at her belt as she exclaims something in another language. She shifts back to the common tongue almost immediately. "Killed! How?" She looks back and forth between the door and the huddling shifter. The guilty conscience denys, a voice whispers in the back of her mind, quoting a proverb, but she quashes it, feeling ashamed at the suspicion. Dolly looked frightened out of her wits by whatever she'd found.

[Velvet Elvis]

Hesiq Tarook

At Raven's stressed call, Hesiq responded by stepping on one foot with the other as he tried to stand. The momentary pause to rebalance himself saw the others already springing toward and up the stairs. Cursing under his breath as he was forced to delay to adjust his shoe, he noticed the hobgoblin's reaction to furtively exit the room, rather than offering any kind of aid.

At the foot of the stairs, he paused and said into the room, "Someone get the proprietor! Send him up here!"

He took in the scene from the landing, and slipped around those hovering over the shifter to look into the room. Windowless, it was dark, but he could smell the tang of blood in the air clearly enough; the other odors of death were obvious, as well.

Finally moving with some purpose, Hesiq grabs a lamp from one of the hall's narrow side tables and holds it across the room's threshold, eager and not eager to gain the details of what he already knew to be a violent death.

[EvilRoeSlade]

An everburning lamp is nearby, not close enough to light up the room until Hesiq commandeers it and brings it inside where Raven fruitlessly searches in the darkness.

The scene illuminated is at first incomprehensible. A man-sized, macabre marionette, covered in blood blots out the light coming in from the window. But gradually the mind takes in the terrible scene: A corpse so thoroughly brutalized that it barely resembles a humanoid. The skin has been pulled off and stacked in neat sheets on the bed. As a result there seems to be no section of the floor that hasn't been washed in blood. The excessive mutilation makes it difficult to tell exactly how the killing blow was dealt simply by looking at it, while the removal of the face leaves nothing but a grinning, fleshy skull to identify the victim. The light reveals that Raven is standing on a bit of blue intestine, but though the body has clearly been disemboweled, where the innards have been left is not immediately apparent. The corpse has been suspended upright on one of the ornate bedposts, the pointed wooden carving having been used to impale the torso.

The room is for one person only, and the only furnishing is a desk that has been worked at. A set of clothing is scattered amongst the gore.

[The_Snark]

Miira

As Hesiq brings the lantern into the room, Miira follows, but the macabre scene that greets the firelight stops her in the doorway. The hand on the hilt of her knife is now gripping it hard enough now her hand is white and visibly shaking. She swallows, backing out of the doorway; her footsteps leave unpleasant red traces. "Who-" She has to clear her throat and try again, unable to tear her gaze away from the room; her face is locked in an expression of paralyzed horror. "What could have done this? Why?"

[Deepblue706]

Puck, peeking inward, is shocked to see the gore. "...Let's uh," He clears his throat. "Let's uh, let the innkeep know." He slowly backs out of the room and turns back to Dolly, presuming she hasn't moved. "It's okay." He pauses, as his sympathy for her overwhelms his ability to speak. "Let's get you outta here." He tries to help her out of the hall and back to the common room. "Just have a seat, and take a second to relax. It'll be okay."

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil heard the noise of feet on the stairs and the murmur of voices from above. He frowned and knocked on the door. "Master dwarf, do you need any help? I think something's going on upstairs."

[KIDS]

Horrified by the gruesome scene (not grizzly, for grizzlies don't do things even remotely like this), but most of all him being inadvertenly in the middle of it, Raven bends over and vomits. He spends a moment choking before recovering himself and retreating to the room's door where he observes further from. Very few things in his life could have prepared him for a sight like this, and the half-elf still thought that he carried himself as valiantly as anyone might have asked of him; for now, he only wanted to not touch the scene. "Gods. Oh Gods. That's horrible." Pause. Recomposing of thoughts and gathering wits to ask a question: "Who has last seen him and when was it?" At very least the scene is bloody enough that feeling pity for the man is a distant prospect right now; focus on what can create something like this is stronger.

[EvilRoeSlade]

When Hesiq had ordered someone to fetch the proprietor, no one had stirred. As in this case, an order for someone to do something tends to be interpreted as "Someone other than me."

Dolly offers no resistance and allows Puck to bring her downstairs and through the dining room to the common area. She's beyond words at this point and so simply clings to him, mewling like a distraught kitten.

There is no response when Ibrigil knocks on the door.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil waited. The only sound he heard was of someone retching upstairs. He knocked again, more urgently this time. "Master Grauff? I think there's something wrong."

If he again receives no answer, he'll cautiously open the door and peek inside.

[Velvet Elvis]

Hesiq Tarook

He knew it wouldn't be kind to his eyes, but as with most things, intellectual curiosity always seemed to get the better of him and often smacked him in the face for it. This was one of those times. Describing the scene as merely gruesome was an insult to truth. He'd never witnessed anything like it, and the images conjured by endless tavern stories about rabid beasts and their aftermath paled many times over.

But he looked on. Stared. It was morbidly fascinating in a sickening way that he'd not experienced before. He felt, then tasted the bile climb upwards, but choked it down. Rather than back out entirely, he stepped silently to the side to allow Raven to escape.

Hesiq had experienced animal maulings in his home territory. Large predatory creatures and beasts with magic in their veins roamed the deserts north of Valenar, and from time to time a tribe-mate would be an unfortunate victim. But there was something markedly different here.

This was not the work of a ravenous, mindless beast. The flaying of skin to be folded in tidy sheets on the bed; the impaling of the corpse upon the post and the seemingly vengeful ripping away of the face were the signs of intelligent intent.

The gore and the blood blanketed almost everything making it nigh impossible to find signs that might answer part of the question that had formed in his mind.

He finally backed out, setting the lamp back upon the table, returning the grisly scene to a measure of merciful darkness.

"I don't know what the magewright was in this place to do, and it might be assuming too much to be fair, but I can't avoid thinking he might have been dabbling with demons. Whatever did this obviously did so with a vengeance, and that is a trait I've heard attributed to demons, especially those summoned to do a mage's bidding."

He took a moment to look down the hall, away from the stairway landing, for obvious bloody footprints. Though if it was a demon, it had many tricks to elude detection, and may have even simply vanished back to its own plane.

"Where the hell is Grauff!" he snapped, becoming immediately impatient that the most important person in the place hadn't bothered to come.

[EvilRoeSlade]

There are no lights in the storeroom, but then again, what dwarf truly needs a light? Nonetheless, opening the door does provide enough illumination to give a basic idea of the contents. Row after row of shelves, goods stacked on the floor as well, in a room of considerable size.

Nearby you hear a door open and close from within the room. Footsteps approach, and then halt abruptly. You're not allowed in here, growls a familiar voice.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"Ah! Mr. Grauff. I think there's something wrong upstairs. There was a scream and then a commotion. You can look for the game later if you haven't found it; I can wait."

[KIDS]

Not knowing what to do, Raven carefully backs away from the door and nods to Hesiq. "I thought that someone would come up in all this time..." he says slowly. "Maybe we should search the other rooms in here. Who knows where the killer might be hiding." He would have asked if the magewright had any visitors but it would have to wait until they have to find someone. "And where is Ibrigil?" Unwilling to take initiative right this moment, Raven looks down the stairs but doesn't descend just yet.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Grauff appears from the darkness, glaring at Ibrigil. Previously he had been wearing a thick fur coat, and he still is, but now there's a hauberk clanking beneath it and a dagger at his belt. By now nearly everyone in the dining room has found another place to be. Wasn't looking for your stupid game. Open that door without permission again, and I'm takin' a finger. He looks past the human looking oddly distracted, as if he heard a noise that isn't apparent to anyone else. Then abruptly he steps out, slams the door shut, and locks it. Better be worth the interruption, he grumbles as he stumps up the stairs.

Upon arrival he shoves past Raven and pushes himself grumpily into the room, pausing abruptly. For a long time he is silent, and then: Who else has seen this?

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira shifts politely to let the dwarven proprietor pass through, her hand still clenched about the hilt of her dagger. The fact that the dwarf is now clad in mail is not lost on her, and she uneasily decides that if he is now wearing armor, she ought to go up and fetch hers, as well, when there is time. Hesiq, of course, was right. Even if there had been no physical spirit present here to kill the magewright, this could only be the work of an altavar, or one of their pawns, seeking to spread their pain to others. She says a silent prayer that the magewright had only been a victim, and that his soul would endure his misfortune and be reborn better for it.

"Only the girl you sent to wake him," she says in answer to the dwarf's question. She's still looking at the inside of the room, but in a different way now, using one of the few skills that she had really managed to learn well. The altavar were everywhere, but at least, sometimes, she could see their work, and where it had been.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil frowned at the dwarf's rude words, but followed him in silence. With the others standing outside the room, he was only able to get the barest glimpse into it; but it was enough to sour his breakfast. He pushed closer to get a better look. It looks unreal, like the backdrop a mummery set in the Abyss. As long as he repressed the thought that the gruesome details of the decor formerly belonged to a living man, with a family and a profession, and who had probably complained about the consistency of his porridge yesterday morning, Ibrigil was able to keep from being sick.

[KIDS]

Raven looks to the floor for a short time. "Why, do you want us not to talk about it or to let people know?" he offers helpfully. For himself, he can go either way but of course he knows well that this will have to be cleaned up sometime soon. Even worse, it will have to be investigated. Perhaps those soldiers downstairs have some input...

... of course, he was the first one to discover this, apart from Dolly. And what Dolly would feel above the terror they have all felt... that must be where personal responsibility steps in. Raven looks up and shakes his head to refresh thoughts, curls bouncing left-right wildly. "We need to do something about this. Why was the man in here, what was his occupation, whom did he speak to..."

[Velvet Elvis]

Hesiq Tarook

Hesiq caught Miira's suspicious look and made one of his own at Grauff's back. He knows something he's not planning on telling.

The dwarf's consequent question seemed to carry with it the implication that he thought to cover up the incident, thus somehow protecting his own interests. What those interests were was anyone's guess at the moment, but they no doubt didn't involve them in a beneficial way.

After Miira answered the dwarf, Hesiq followed on Raven's heels, testing the waters a bit. "This incident must be brought to the attention of the law in this region! Something extremely dangerous is on the loose!" he said animatedly, taking purposeful steps toward the stairs.

[EvilRoeSlade]

A meaty and callused hand shoots out abruptly to snag Hesiq's elbow. It's kinda funny, he murmurs. First thing you do is run to get me... and the moment I get a look at it you're fixin' to get the law. I really, really hope you don't think I'll pay for your silence, boy. From beneath his thick black beard and weathered, bushy brow he peers at each in turn, frowning. What's your game?

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira looks confused. "Game? What are you talking about? Someone was killed!" she says, gesturing to the inside of the room. "What does money have to do with any of this?" She sounds a little disbelieving that the dwarf would be talking about gold with a thing like this in the inn. "There is some sort of law around here, isn't there? A local lord, or someone you can go to when something like this happens?" she asks a bit despondently, not necessarily expecting that to be the case. It was different everywhere. At home, she would have known exactly how to handle this, anybody would have. Here, they didn't have people to protect them.

[Velvet Elvis]

Stopped in his tracks as his arm was caught in the dwarf's grip, Hesiq turned to face him, attempting to shake his elbow free.

Miira answered quickly, and Hesiq nodded in agreement. "No game, sir. This is a serious incident, and that man must have kin somewhere that should be notified in addition to this...whatever it was...being hunted down for everyone's safety."

Hesiq continued to play the concerned citizen, and although he actually did believe the point of his words, at the moment, he was more interested in sussing out any clues to the dwarf's own game. A man whose first inclination is to suspect ulterior motives from someone attempting to help in such an obviously grievous situation, must have plenty of his own.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Grauff allows Hesiq to pull his arm away, seeming uninterested in attempting to restrain him further. I think, he begins slowly and solemnly, with a voice that grinds like rock, that you're forgetting the situation that we find ourselves in. We're cut off. You won't find any law downstairs, and you won't find any of his family. All that's down there are a bunch of penned in steer. And you're about to make them stampede. It ain't pretty to have people panicking when they're trapped like rats. And it sure as hell ain't good for business. I could go to the soldiers holed up here. But they're not investigators, and they're not trained to deal with a mess like this. So my first choice, would be you. He nods to Miira. You. This with a glance at Ibrigil. You, as his gaze lands on Raven. And even you. He casts a vaguely unpleasant look at Hesiq. Then for a moment his gaze goes past him and he leans in, as though he were straining to hear a noise that is in no way evident. After this lapse, he speaks again. Thanks for hearing me out. If you clean up this mess, figuratively, and without alerting my clients any more than necessary, then I'll see that you're rewarded more than adequately. We can talk price if you want, but I need to know right now if you're interested.

[KIDS]

For one moment Raven looks as if he will dart away - from the responsibility and expectation at least - then tries to calm down and look Grauff in the eye. That description of the situation is actually terrifying, but somehow it seems to be convincing. Think of it, he was doing the very same thing until it was said...

"And... and Puck," he remembers. "He went downstairs with Dolly. You're right, there is nothing to be gained from that panic. I will help with this... thing. Still we should consider sending someone... - I do not know how good are the odds of breaking through but someone more at home in the wilds might know...." Raven intentionally omits any expressions like 'would be glad to' or something, simply because they aren't true. But since he was tangled up in this already, somehow it seemed the best choice...

[Deepblue706]

Once Puck has Dolly seated with a blanket, he warns her "Stay here." and promises to check up on her again soon, as he makes his way back to the scene. Upon seeing the group in discussion with the dwarf, he makes his way over to them without hesitation.

"...Dolly should be alright, but I think she'll be probably want someone to look after her. Having gone in there for her must have been...horrifying. I...I don't even think I'm completely well, myself."

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira's distress fades into a solemn expression as she looks at Grauff, looking away only to meet the others' gazes as they speak. Of course, he was right. They didn't have anyone here who could come through the snow; they had no way to contact someone else, that someone else could not have come even if they did tell them, and there wasn't really anyone these people could rely on with the wisdom to solve this and protect them without fail. It was a pity. Frightening, too—she wasn't used to all this responsibility falling on her shoulders. For a fleeting moment, she wishes she were back home, where this would not be her concern alone; then she rebukes herself. She had to take the lot she was given and do the best she could.

Besides, she wasn't alone, exactly, but... Grauff was hard for her to read, but he did seem more concerned with gold than was really healthy. Hesiq was much the same, although she knew (and liked) him somewhat better. Ibrigil and Puck were both nice enough, but she had no idea if they had any sort of training for this; she thought not. Raven, she knew had not, but he wouldn't give up on her, either. She isn't alone, and the thought buoys her her. "Yes. I'll do whatever I can," she assents firmly, deflating a little as she adds, "although I don't really know how to begin." She looks about at the others as if for ideas.

[Velvet Elvis]

Hesiq Tarook

The dwarf's point was valid enough. Fear bred suspicion, and suspicions bred mobs. Snowbound, a frightened and suspicious--and likely superstitious--mob would certainly make their forced stay here much worse.

With Raven and Miira already having agreed to Grauff's suggestion, Hesiq bobbed his head as he regarded the spattered floor, then looked to the dwarf. "Alright. Although I have to agree with Miira on not having any special expertise in this...sort of thing, I'd much rather be on the hunt than simply being one of the hunted." He didn't seem entirely convinced this was a desired option, but he wasn't going anywhere for a while; and there was the issue of his dwindling coin. His main coin pouch had gone...somewhere, during the crash, and the reserve he kept in the soles of his shoes wasn't much.

"Gil and Puck can speak for themselves, but until they decide, I expect you'll be forthcoming with information related to this task, and will be agreeable to requests for the use of mundane items--tools, containers, and the like--as may be needed." Hesiq folded his arms and pensively scratched at his chin with a fingertip.

"Given the circumstances, we may also need to have access to more than just the visitor's areas. But, we'll see where the trail leads before concerning ourselves with that."

[EvilRoeSlade]

[/COLOR]Grauff quickly shuts the door behind Puck after allowing him in. Don't send anyone, he says firmly. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]Until I've got this bastards skull on my fireplace, no one leaves.

He reaches into his fur coat and tosses a set of keys at Myrial. Here's where you start. I just discovered someone's been messing with my storeroom. They took a fur coat and some winter clothing, and they weren't too clean about it.

He peers suspiciously at Hesiq. I'll decide what you need and what you don't. Just remember that nothing is free, and we'll be alright.

I have to go make sure my guests are calm and unsuspecting. That'll probably be keeping me busy the rest of the evening, so if you're wondering anything else, ask now.

[Velvet Elvis]

Hesiq shrugs at the dwarf's thorny response.

"I suppose it's up to you to decide how soon, how efficiently and if this matter is solved. I, for one, won't be spending my own coin to help you sort out an issue that is, for all intents and purposes, your problem. Be as tightfisted as you wish, we'll see how things shape up. If we need materials and you're not forthcoming, we'll just have to ignore that lead and hope it isn't critical." Hesiq shrugs again, more mildly and while parting his hands in a helpless gesture.

"That aside, for now, I think it would be useful for you to describe the visitors that occupied the other rooms off this hall, as well as providing some details on the magewright's intended purpose in being here, where he hailed from, anything you know about his reputation and general business dealings. Also, is there an attic in this place? It may be useful to have a look through the vents from a decent vantage point in case there might still be blood trails in the snow. If cold-weather goods have been taken, and for the moment we might as well assume a connection, it would seem to indicate someone expecting to have to deal with it. Oh, and have one of your employees give a quick check to all the exits, windows and any chutes, included, and report to one of us on anything out of the norm."

[KIDS]

Seeing that Hesiq has things quite under control (as much it is possible at this time), Raven turns to other matters. "Come Miira, let us check our own rooms and gather what we need," he says, heading down the hall to pick up his dagger, backpack and what little trinkets could be useful to them. He is mostly silent until they have gained some distance and a closed door between them and the rest of the group. "Do you think Grauff could be involved in all this more than he had let us know?"

OOC:
assuming that we have more than one room

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira catches the keys and follows Raven back to the room, still holding them on her hand, and feeling both puzzled and a little put out. For Hesiq and Grauff to be disagreeing over money at a time like this was hardly believable. She hadn't caught all of what they were talking about—sometimes, she thought people here only said half of what they meant—but she hoped they wouldn't really let it interfere with what they were doing, as some of their words almost seemed to say.

Once in the room, she goes to her bag, rummaging through it to get her mail and sword out; the idea that Raven had been making an excuse doesn't occur to her. She pauses and straightens, mail in hand, to look at him as he speaks. "I don't think so... I can't see him doing anything like this. But..." She trails off and looks down, frowning. "I can't really see anyone doing anything like this," she admits at last. "I don't know."

After a moment, she asks a question that had been on her mind since they got here. "Would he really have refused to take us in last night? If we didn't have money, I mean?"

[Deepblue706]

Puck

Puck makes no comment on what he thinks about Miira's question."I'm certainly not going to jump to any conclusions about who is involved! This whole situation is crazy..." He ponders silently. "Who could have done such a horrible thing?"

[KIDS]

"I guess so," Raven reclutanly takes the offer of gossip. "He must have seen a whole lot of things and all kinds of travelers from running this place, more likely. Surely being tough pays off for him." Raven grits his teeth involuntarily when he says that. He might have been tougher and more decisive in his past and he would have had something better than merry hope and fey insight now. Luck always seemed on the run, but one day it would stop, and then...

Seeing Miira donning her mail he respectfully offers to help. They were close or not very close to each other, depending how one measured it, but somehow it seemed like a small and good gesture. Once they are ready, he leads the way back to the hall, waiting for whomever wants to take his things too. "Where can we start then? Checking all the rooms could cause some unrest, yet it appears a good way to be sure no one is hiding anything..."

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira accepts Raven's help with the armor with a small nod of thanks, mulling over his words; she certainly hadn't meant them as gossip. If even Raven—who was normally cheerful and optimistic—thought the dwarf might have left them out in the blizzard during the night... but maybe he was wrong. She hoped so.

She follows him back out into the hallway. "The storeroom, maybe?" she guesses, removing the keys from her small pouch and trying to think. She had to reason things out slowly, she knew; nothing ever went well for her if she didn't. "If somebody took warm clothes, maybe they were going outside. It must be the same... person that did this." She had almost said thing; maybe she should have. She didn't really know a word to express what this was, not in this language, at least.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil remained silent, doing no more than nodding in response to Grauff's question concerning their willingness to investigate. He found it difficult to hear the continuing conversation, so loudly was his heart thudding in his ears. This is crazy. You know it is. What truck would you want with something that could--that would--do this to a man? If you want to 'experience the world,' you don't start with it's underbelly. Or its assparts. You're in over your head. This isn't a tale in a scroll; and the end of the story just might kill you.

He heard a sniffling horse-like snort that only could have come from Dolly. "I can't just do nothing, either," he muttered. He blinked and looked around, as if trying to discern what had changed while his thoughts were elsewhere.

Grauff mentioned the storeroom and the missing items. "Maybe someone else should check out the storeroom." He smiled weakly as he remembered Grauff's threat; but his smile faded as the dwarf's expression remained as hard-bitten as ever. "I'll--I'll--is there any way to get up to the roof from inside? Or is there only exterior access? I'd like to see if there are any tracks in the snow. Keep an eye out for puddles on floors or sills that might indicate a previously-opened door or window."

[Deepblue706]

Puck

While flustered, Puck stays silent. He seems to be having a hard time determining what to do - and is perhaps even a little dependent on others making any decisions. He moves his mouth, but no audible words are heard - he continues whispering to himself a word or two before pausing again and then scratching his head in frustration. He seems oblivious to what the rest of the group is currently discussing.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"Or if not the roof, then an attic or loft window, like Hesiq said. I'd want to get a good view of outside without pushing open a door and maybe brushing away somebody's tracks."

He gestured toward the room. "On the other hand, I don't expect that whoever--whatever--did that is a common burglar looking to make a quick getaway."

Ibrigil leaned back against the doorframe and his eyes unfocused. "Several more things that would be useful to know: are any of the room's furnishings missing? Who contacted the man and where did he come from? Did he have any luggage with him? And did he converse with anyone since he arrived?" His attention returned and focused on Grauff. "I don't expect you have all the answers to these questions; but as the proprietor, I hope you can point us to someone who would know."

[EvilRoeSlade]

Huh, ya don't start small I see. And don't have much experience negotiatin' neither. The last is added in a quieter tone as though it were intended that Hesiq and Ibrigil don't hear it, even though the words are perfectly audible. Grauff pauses for a moment and his gaze darts to the now closed room that the three stands at, as though some occupant had just opened the door to emerge. Seeing it undisturbed, he nods with quiet satisfaction.

Alright. In this hall there's Lord Kaileth and his wife in the suite, they're a couple aHouse Orien fops. Then we've got Hardin, a mercenary who I don't know... Hibbin, scribe of House Sivis, he's just about a permanent resident of this place... Ama, merchant... Haryl, another merchant... I think that's it. They're all on the other end though. Althis asked for the most isolated room I had and he got it. Said he wanted quiet so he could work.

Kelthis himself is a Brelander. This is the first time he came here so I can't tell you much. He was kinda scrawny, seemed to be in bad health, but didn't give me the impression he was about to be murdered. Came here on my request, his name popped up when I was asking about someone in his line of work and so I sent him a message. He came here to discuss a possible contract with another of my guests. He frowns. Guess we'll need someone else now. Damn.

Alright then. Continue down this hall and turn right twice. Go upstairs and you can reach the roof. One of the keys I gave to that woman friend of yours will unlock the trapdoor, the small one made of brass. Check the exits yourself though. That's what I'm paying you for.

I didn't notice anything missing, no. I think I mentioned that I'm the one that brought him here... he had a couple carrying cases, I didn't notice if they were still in the room or not... and uhh... let's see. I think he stayed in his room mostly. He was working on something and I don't think he talked with anyone. You'd have to ask Dolly though, she pokes her nose in my guests business more than I do.

He begins stumping toward the staircase, eyes narrowed. I just know I'm going to have my hands full. If you have any other questions, make them quick.

[KIDS]

"Great," Raven brightens up a bit at the good start, despite the horrid reasons. "Oh, just one thing. You sad he came here to discuss a possible contract with one of your guests. Which one was it...?" He recalls the conversation and shouting from downstairs, but it is still good to know. Otherwise, he has no questions and will gladly get started on the roof after Grauff returns to his business. "I wonder if we should take Dolly with us. Her insight could be of some help, but I would hate to get her into danger, she is just a..." Raven raises his hands in a gesture of helplessness and lets it rest. It is quite unclear whether he means shifter, female or child.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Grauff rolls his eyes. What, you mean ya didn't notice? He sure as hell made enough of a stink about it. Seeming to have had enough of the interrogation, he stumps down the stairway.

[Deepblue706]

Puck

Confused, Puck scratches his head. "I don't know what he's talking about..." He takes a moment to think upon it, eventually giving up. "...but if we're gonna bother Dolly with questions, leave it to me - you fellas just...eh...I don't know, try to figure somethin' out, eh?"

With that, he makes his way back to where he left Dolly, thinking of how he could delicately ask for any information she might be able to provide.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"I, for one, would feel best if we stayed together--at least in pairs. Before we start doing interviews, I think we should assess the physical situation. Hesiq, are you interested in checking out the attic or roof with me? Anyone else with me?"

[KIDS]

"Right," Raven mouths to himself watching Grauff's back as the man departs. Looking at Puck, his eyebrows rise questioningly. "You know, Ibrigil is right. I better go with you - just for safety. We will get back to you on the attic when we're done," with that said, he heads after Puck, observing the patrons downstairs and whether they seem to be suspicious of the happenings above them. He won't ask any questions first, though.

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira is part of the way to the stairs down, looking back and forth between the others as they discuss what to do—she'd been going to investigate the storeroom, but she would need the keys to do that. So would investigating the roof, which was why she had stopped. They couldn't do both at the same time.

She makes up her mind. "I'll go with you, Ibrigil." She hooks the ring of keys back on her belt. "We can look at the storeroom after."

[Deepblue706]

Puck

While he rolls his eyes at Raven's comment about safety, Puck does not express himself verbally. "Come on, let's go already."

[Velvet Elvis]

Hesiq Tarook

Staring at the open doorway, Hesiq was somewhat lost in thought, though he remained well aware of the various exchanges. With Miira and Ibrigil ready to check above, Hesiq takes a step toward the doorway and slips it shut. With no practical means of obscuring the blood stains that had made their way into the hall--in some part due to their own tracking--Hesiq resignedly runs a hand across the side of his face.

"Let's see what's up there. Keep an eye out for blood drops or such along the way."

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"Alright, then. Let's go" At Hesiq's command, he took note of the hallway floor for the first time. He grimaced at the mess that they had made of the area immediately outside the room. So much for desiring to be painfully careful about signs and indications. Nevertheless, he kept his eyes on the floor and walls as they made their way to the access door.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Except for the dusty windows, there isn't any abundant source of lights in the shadowy hallway. The mahogany doors are closed, and no sound comes from them or anywhere else as Hesiq and those with him follow Grauff's directions - except of course the creaks and groans of the floorboards beneath their feet.

After a couple of turns they readily find a narrow staircase that looks to have seen little use, judging by the cobwebs that have developed at the tunnel that it stops at. The ladder at the wall of the tunnel only consists of a half-dozen steps before it opens up into a trapdoor which Miira's key unlocks.

Outside upon the flat roof, there is snow everywhere. The air is crisp with the chill of winter which pierces through your clothes to cut at your skin.

Downstairs, the atmosphere is possibly a bit more subdued than it was before. Grauff seems to have concocted some story about Kelthis misbehaving against Dolly and being confined in his quarters however, so nobody seems particularly alarmed or uneasy. On passing, Grauff explains to Puck and Raven that he has given Dolly the day off and sent her to her room.

[KIDS]

Raven is pleased to see that the common room shows no agitation; at his face, this fact appears more like something of an aura, a first impression hidden behind the half-elven face. "Good job... can you tell us where her room is?" he asks Grauff, eager to continue on their path. Truth be told, it is Puck's idea to ask her whatever might be relevant, not Raven's, but he has developed a certain trust for the man and doesn't ask undue questions yet.

A bit mournfully, his glance moves over the people gathered in the room. Before the day was over, would someone else be suspecting, or in danger? Fortunately for them, they all had something to keep themselves busy with, and boredom wouldn't send them wandering through the inn.

[The_Snark]

Miira

As she climbs out first, Miira pushes aside the snow above the trapdoor, packing it down enough that they can stand easily, and shivers, looking about and tucking her hands under her arms to keep them warm. They weren't really dressed for this, she thinks ruefully; her mail shirt in particular chills her. "Do you see anything?" she asks, glancing about aimlessly to see if there are any footprints to find on the roof.

Carefully, she walks towards one of the roof's edges, peering off it to see if any tracks are evident in the snow on the ground.

[Deepblue706]

As Puck is about to ask for Dolly, Raven beats him to the punch. Letting him finish, Puck idlely glances around. "Even if she was a bit shaken up, we really think she can help out - even if just a little"

[EvilRoeSlade]

Grauff directs Puck and Raven to Dolly's room, which is behind the kitchen and considerably more spartan than those available to guests. The door is partially open and inside you can hear ragged snoring.

Peeking over the ledge, Miira disturbs the snow caked on the roof, which sprinkles to the ground in clumps. Below, only one thing stands out in the pristine white aftermath of the snowfall - what appears to be a rope lying haphazardly on the ground, near the wall.

[Deepblue706]

Puck turns to Raven as he peeks into Dolly's room from a distance. "I think she might be sleeping. Think we should knock? Or maybe come back later...?"

[The_Snark]

Miira

"Look!" Miira calls to the others, motioning to them over to look at the rope. She peers down at it, trying to see if any footprints can be discerned in the snow. They should be obvious, if there were any. Shouldn't they?

"Maybe they did leave this way. But how would they have gotten through the trapdoor if it was locked?" She blinks as something belatedly occurs to her. "And how did they get into his room?"

[KIDS]

Raven listens to the snoring with a somewhat saddened expression on his usualyl merry face. "Depends on what you wanted to ask... if 'twas something important, go ahead. If not, let us rejoin others, we can always come back later." Peeking into the room after Puck just to be certain if everything is fine there, he shrugs. "What was it?"

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil peeked over the edge, got a good look, and then drew back. "That's...strange. Really. Look: no footprints. The snow's pristine. If we're dealing with someone who needs a rope to climb off the roof, you'd also figure that they'd leave tracks walking away. If they had some sort of flight spell available to them, then why would they need a rope? Like I said, it's strange."

OOC: Any indication how deep the snow is?
Is the rope partially buried by snowfall, or is it pretty much on top of the snow?

[Deepblue706]

"I dunno, I just wanted to know if she talked to that guy recently, or saw him do anything peculiar or talk to strange people...I mean, it's her job to take care of the place - right?" He remembers his distance from the door, and tries to keep his voice a little lower. "Poor thing...let's let her rest for now. We can always come back later." He scratches his head. "So, where did everyone else go? The roof, was it?"

[KIDS]

Raven studies the sleeping shifter in the room silently, feeling a strange sort of compassion. Once he sees that there is nothing dangerous or unusual in the room he slowly closes the door and lowers his voice too. "Somewhat like that... you are right, Puck. Let us join others on the roof, perhaps they have found something."

[EvilRoeSlade]

Inside Dolly's room, there are dolls everywhere, most made of cloth, a few made out of clay and other less wholesome substances. They are all ragged and unclean, and seem to be positioned about the room so that every one of them stares at Raven as he peeks in. Closing the door does not wake Dolly, and Raven and Puck are able to rejoin the others.

The rope, though hard to see on the ground below, does seem to be submerged in the snow.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"I guess the most straightforward answer is that the snow covered over the tracks as it fell, and that the murderer is long gone. If I were a devious murderer, though, I'd drop a coil of rope off the roof to mislead any pursuers. Or maybe the rope was how the murderer got here." He started looking around for any obvious anchor points, or any signs of a hook having been lodged in the roof. "If the murderer used the rope to climb down, how did he or she get the rope to follow? I've heard of being able to tie a knot that stays as long as there's pressure on it, and then releasing if you shake the rope the right way; but I'm guessing that they're not that easy to do."

"At least we might be able to get a fix on how long ago this rope was dropped. The snow's deep enough that the rope wasn't here before it started; so if we can correctly gauge the amount that it's now covered, and how long it would take, we can get an approximate fix on the time it was dropped there."

He chuckled. "In theory, anyway. I have no idea how to figure it out, myself. My personal experience with snow is kind of limited."

Is the snow still falling, or has it stopped now? If it's stopped, is there anyone in the party who knows when it stopped?

[The_Snark]

Miira

"I... oh," Miira says, blinking as she tries to keep track of the options presented. "I've been in snow, but I don't really know how fast it would pile up." She peers over the edge, trying to think of something she can contribute.

"Maybe he climbed up the rope, not down the rope?" she asks hopefully, turning to Ibrigil to see what he thinks of the idea; the librarian was much better than she at piecing together the reasons for things.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil nodded. "Right. I don't know."

[KIDS]

Raven takes a moment to recall the directions to where others went, then quickly navigates through the inn to reach the roof. Halfway though, he stops abruptly and turns to Puck. "So many dolls in her room... well, I wouldn't expect anything else given the name but... so strange, as if they were symbols or fetishes or some kind, not just toys. I hope she can tell us about it later."

Rejoining others, Raven quickly approaches the edge to stare down on the dislodged rope. "I would be glad for this to turn out more mundane than it appears... from what I recall, everything in that room was locked. Even a rope wouldn't have helped with it..." Detaching his gaze from the sight, he informs others of their findings - rather, their lack of findings for now. While listening to suggestions, his eyes wander away into the distance, to where snow has covered what little there was of a road and the frozen landscape around them.

[The_Snark]

Miira

"Oh." Miira seems to be out of ideas, and turns to listen to Raven and Puck as they arrive.

"It must have gotten through the lock somehow..." she thinks out loud upon being reminded that the door was locked, trying to imagine how they could have gotten in without leaving a trace. Well... no traces aside from the- what was inside, anyway. "Sorcery?" she suggests, unable to think of much else.

"Maybe we should go and look at the storeroom. I don't think looking at the rope will help us much?" She ends in a question mark, looking about at each of them for agreement.

[Deepblue706]

"Yeah, sure." Puck says, seeming a bit out-of-his-element. "We uh, went to talk to Dolly, but she was asleep. So we'll check on her later." He glances around, not really sure what to suggest. "So, I guess in the meantime, the storeroom sounds like a good idea, right?" He glances around, scratching his head some more.

[KIDS]

Raven nods, though still looking down at the rope and trying to grasp some elusive connection. "Anyone can lower me down there safely enough? I would like to pick up the rope, perhaps there is something hidden by the snow or we can compare it with something later. Just remember where it lay after we remove it."

OOC:
how long is it down to the rope?

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"I don't have any way of letting you down." He shrugged and shook his head, slightly dislodging his woven cap. He pulled it down tightly on his head again, trying to maximize its protection from the frosty air. "Checking the storeroom sounds like a good idea, if only to get out of the cold."

[If nobody else intervenes:] He pulled open the door leading down into the inn. "C'mon. Don't want to let all the heat out."

[Deepblue706]

"C'mon, Raven." Puck called to him as he was already half-way back into the inn. "Let's go back inside."

[The_Snark]

Miira

"I could lower you over the edge, but I don't think you could reach it unless I dropped you, and then you wouldn't be able to get back up. We can always come back for it, if we need it for something," Miira suggests, waiting for Raven to start back before she does.

[KIDS]

"Very well, some other time then." Raven turns back and shivering slightly retreats from the cold air. "What was it then, the storeroom? Perhaps we can find something there."

[EvilRoeSlade]

The storeroom is extremely dark, without any light or windows whatsoever. You can barely discern vague shapes of boxes and other supplies, some of which look strange in the shadows.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil led the way downstairs. When they reached the storeroom, he opened the door. Seeing little in the darkness, he called upon the divine lore he had collected and prepared in order to provide illumination. He then studied the room closely, as if to fix the arrangement of its contents in his mind. He also compared it to the earlier--albeit brief--view he had of it when he had fetched the innkeeper. The craggy scar on his cheek twitched with the mental effort.

Casting light.

WIS or INT check to recall his earlier view of the room and compare it? Spot? I don't expect anything would be different, but it's the sort of thing he'd do.

[Deepblue706]

Despite having little patience or lacking a particularly keen eye for detail, Puck looks around the room for clues, as best as he can.

Search: 12, Spot 15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1495387/)

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira blinks at the sudden light, glancing at Ibrigil. The dim light makes it hard to tell, but she looks a touch uneasy in the moment before she turns and heads a bit further into the storeroom. Her brown hair is almost invisible in the dark, but her movements and the light tan garments she is wearing mark her out in the dark. "Does anyone see anything?" her voice floats back softly. "What should we look for?"

[EvilRoeSlade]

The storeroom is cluttered and dusty, despite its expansive size. There are all sorts of useful goods, from potions to water clocks. Other less explainable odds and ends are also present, such as an immense humanoid skull, a rusted sickle, and a jar filled with dirty feathers.

There is a door leading outside, slightly ajar. Blood is smeared on the knob and frame.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"Hey...." He drew the others' attention to the bloodied door. "This looks like the exit, then; and the rope was for the way in. Probably."

He looked at the blood smears and tried to discern any prints--hand or otherwise--that might give any more information about the murderer.

Search = 11
Spot = 14
(see dice-rolling thread)

[KIDS]

With a raised eyebrow, Raven picks up the skull and inspects it, staring into its empty eyes for a moment. When his shoulder-length hair accidentally brushes off against the dead thing, he shudders and sends it back. "Must be some trophy from the war," he whispers.
But when Ibrigil points him out the bloodied door, he realizes that this is no stroll-along they have embarked on. "Victim's or murderer's?" he whispers, stalking to slightly apart from the door, nerves twitching.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"I wish I had some way of knowing. If there's a blood trail outside, then perhaps the murderer was injured. It seems a little suspicious that he (or she) made the exit point so obvious. I think, though, that a creature capable of such thorough brutality--" he shivered at the memory of the carnage upstairs "--might not fear any pursuers that might come. It was almost...demonic."

He tried to open the door and look outside.

[Deepblue706]

"Jeepers..." Whispered Puck, at the sign of more blood. Once Ibrigil moves forward, he pulls out his shillelah, following him close behind.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Outside, the chill air bites at your exposed skin. The cold is palpable. Ahead, there is what looks like a supply shed. The door flutters in the freezing wind. Before you, the only disturbance in the pristine white are dark brown stains within the snow.

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira shivers and nods in accord with Ibrigil's statement. As she sees Puck readying his club, she draws her sword from her belt, her gloves too thin to block the chill of the metal haft as she steps outside. "Look. Are those... footprints?" She crouches by one to look at it more closely, not touching it.

[KIDS]

Raven fnds himself looking at the undisturbed snow with a raised eyebrow as his mind tries to link the facts together. "So there are signs of - blood or whatever it could be - but snow is undisturbed everywhere. Could this one be floating, or perhaps light enough not to touch the ground?" When everyone is out, he reaches back to close the door behind them, though careful not to touch the blood.

As soon as the initial warmth has died off and the wind reminds him of why he wants to be inside, he tries to make sense of the direction of the tracks. "Look at that shed over there. Has Grauff mentioned anything about it? We should if there are any trails inside too." Raven quickly analyzes the clues, albeit without much connection. Floating, light or just very skilled creature that might or might not be their quarry... could it be that it was as vulnerable to cold as them? If that was true, it would seek to be indoors...

[Deepblue706]

With a hunched posture, Puck tries to keep himself protected from the biting wind. He says nothing, simply glancing back between the others in hopes someone will make a decision before he catches a cold.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"The color of blood would show through even several inches of snow, I'd wager. It's too cold out here to just go traipsing around, though; and I'm not so sure I want to go chasing after a murderer. Investigating and gathering information is one thing; but it seems foolish to run after him or her blindly. We need warm clothing, cloaks, or coats first."

Ibrigil eyed the shed; but as far as he was concerned, it could wait for the time being.

Are there footprints? Or just what seems to be a blood trail? And where does the blood trail lead in relation to the shed?

[KIDS]

"Well yes, I suppose you are right," Raven shuffles uncomfortably in the snow and retreats slightly. Were it not for leather boots, likely he would feel the ice's bite like walking on coals in a moment. "Gliding. Hm. Regardless, do you think Grauff would object if we borrowed some warmer clothes from the storage - presuming there are enough? Maybe we should ask him first," Raven has developed a touch of appreciation for the dwarf's outspoken mind and decisiveness and wouldn't like to anger him.

[Deepblue706]

Puck gives Raven a nod. "Yyy-yes. Deffffinately ask." He rubs his hands for warmth.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"You want to head out in the snow so quickly? I'm all for staying in the warmth, inside. We're supposed to find out what happened, not go chasing through the countryside after a murderously sadistic batard. If I'm going to end up like that poor soul upstairs, it's going to be because I took a known risk and failed--not because I went chasing too quickly after something I should have known would eat me alive."

[KIDS]

Raven's face slowly turns from enthusiastic but careful into a dismayed scowl. "We aren't! We aren't!" he exclaims, seeming to want to thump his fist against the wall but finding none in reach. "Going to end up like... you know. Are we not here because we have survived all kinds of horrible things and we can survive this as well? I would not go up against something that obviously outmatched me..." he shrugs. Retreating a bit inside the half-elf shakes his head. "Right, your thinking still make sense. What do you propose that we do then? Did we miss a place to be investigated somewhere? Perhaps we could collect some of this blood into a vial, in case a divination can link it to something."

[Deepblue706]

As Raven takes a few steps inward, Puck is right behind him. "Well, I don't know anything about us being able to tell whose blood it is..." He scratches his head. "...and I'm not sure we have a lot of options, other than heading outside. I mean, what kind of clues do we have? A mutilated body and a bloody doorknob - and that's pretty much it. Unless we get some kind of insight into what kind of enemies this guy had, I say out into the snow - that is, if we ever want to know what the heck happened." He stares off for a moment. "We'd probably be better off just sitting inside with the rest of the folk, waiting for the snow the melt and our chance to get out of here. But," He takes a deep breath. "If we can get behind what happened, I think more people will be better off. This kind of thing ain't natural - it's a killer. And killers keep killin' until someone takes them down, or until there's no one left to kill. I don't think we should stand around waiting for more clues to fall into our lap - before we know it, someone else might end up dead." He looks back into the storeroom. "I say we get some coats."

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil pulls his woven cap more tightly around his ears, just as he had on the roof. "Aaaaalright, then. If that's what you want. Let's see what we can find that might keep us warm. I'm gonna shut the door so we don't let all the heat out."

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira looks back and forth between the others as they discuss what is to be done, looking as if she'd like to speak but unwilling to interrupt anybody. Finally, she manages to collect her thoughts enough to say, "Our... coats? But shouldn't we check that other house...?" She shrugs; thankfully, she had put her mail on over her other clothing today, which was more conspicuous but also meant she hadn't had to ask Raven to turn his back; now, she was happy for any added layers between her skin and the metal she could get. She hated to delay the search for something as trivial as their comfort... but on the other hand, she was freezing; even with her boots, she realizes she is shuffling to keep from standing too long in one place. "All right, but we shouldn't take too long," she finally concedes, sounding reluctant.

[KIDS]

"We need to see what is in that other shed," Raven lowers his voice to a near whisper, something attributable to his speech. When a conversation was at its beginning, he put in his opinions enthusiastically, then as it progressed he would slowly fade into silence until you couldn't be certain if that were just a thin voice or perhaps a ghost lurking around.
Seeing Ibrigil shut the door through which he intended to point he shrugs. "I think we could be well off with just a few minutes of passage, but we need real winter outfits. Do we just take them or ask Grauff first? He didn't seem like a ..." the half-elf pauses, searching for a right word, "...type to give things free." He makes a mocking chop-chop gesture with his hands.

[Deepblue706]

"Yeah Miira, our coats!" He shakes his head. "What, you want to check the shed without us keeping warm? It's freezing out there - and I don't feel like geting frostbite, or a nasty cold..." He turns to Raven. "Yeah, let's go tell Grauff what we have in mind, first."

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"Maybe just one of us should go tell him. It might raise the suspicions of the other patrons if they continually see a large group of people rushing excitedly from one place to another. I nominate Raven," he added quickly as he grinned.

[KIDS]

Raven nods, mimicking the offered grin like a mirror. "Quite right, there is no need to cause undue panic. Besides, it is not something big we are asking for. I will return in a moment," he says. Heading back into the more populated parts of the tavern he seeks out Grauff and quietly explains him what clues they have found.

"Now we want to track them around the house and into the shed and need some winter clothing. Can we borrow what we can find there in the store room?" He first tries to ask Grauff with the more honeyed variant (for himself), not desiring to waste time and gold where it is not necessary. However, if that works, upon returning he will impress upon others that the are just fairly 'borrowing' the clothes, not confisicating them or anything silly.

[Deepblue706]

Grumbling something about "I wanted to go - this place is creepy..." ,Puck turns away from the group, facing the nearest wall.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Grauff is on the selling floor, where there are only a handful of customers browsing to pass the time. For a moment he squints, and then he grunts. Take them. Keep them. They'll come out of your pay. You'll need them when you leave here anyway, unless you'd prefer to die of chill. I don't do loans.

[KIDS]

Raven does grin slightly at the verbal riposte reaching his ears. "Well, thank you. We will get back to you when we discover something more important." Departing quickly though doing his best to appear... well, normally (if such a state can be defined), he gets back to the party in the storeroom. "It's fine, take what you need. He said that comes out of our pay but we have other concerns at a time, don't we?"

[The_Snark]

Miira

By the time Raven is back, Miira rather agrees with the sentiment that they should get the coats; her feet feel thoroughly numb, and the wind has long since robbed her of what protection her tunic provided from the cold. Of course, if we'd just gone and looked in the shed to begin with, we wouldn't still be out here. She rebukes herself for the half-hearted grumpiness; that was uncharitable. The others were simply preparing in case their search outside took longer.

"That's good of him," she says through faintly chattering teeth, trudging through the snow back into the storeroom to claim a coat. She wraps the heavy, musty fur about herself, and after a moment selects a pair of fur pants as well, sitting on the wooden floor and removing her boots to draw the thick leggings on over her clothes.

Once re-dressed, she picks up her shield (removed to allow her to put the coat on) and straps it to her arm, patiently waiting for the others to finish.

[Deepblue706]

While lacking enthusiasm, Puck doesn't hesitate to grab a coat and suit up. "Let's eh...keep our eyes open, alright? Like my pa used to say, "there's no tellin' what'll be just around the corner, so always keep your wits about ya"..."

[EvilRoeSlade]

There are enough selections that even Miira can find clothing that is close to her size, and finding whatever aesthetic qualities one prefers is likewise of little problem. Properly prepared to face the deathly chill, you head out. The snow goes up to your hips, and climbing over it forces you to proceed slowly. Eventually however, you make it to the shed.

The only light comes from a small dusty window on either wall. The room is filled with shelves of various emergency supplies and what look like surplus goods. There are some rusted gears and broken pipes on the ground, and a door leads to an adjacent room. A rack on the wall is filled with tools.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Glad for the gear, Ibrigil returned to the bitter outdoor chill.

When they arrived at the shed, he once again took it in his methodical manner: checking for anything he could recognize as indications of passage, misplaced or disturbed equipment, and any noises that might indicate that the murderer was still nearby. He paid special attention to the tool rack. It's well stocked. Grauff can't be doing too poorly, despite his out-of-the-way location.

[KIDS]

Raven quickly realizes that his is no time for being choosy, albeit he succumbs to "good taste" and digs through the collection cream and blue colored thick winter clothes. Of course, the amount of snow outside somehow terrifies him more now that he actually posesses the proper garments; it is hard to explain, like a man who is about to be eaten by a shark and seeing a saviour nearby gives up on himself.

Once they have managed to traverse the snowy plain between the two buildings, he peers inside curiously but finding nothing of immediate concern, joins Ibrigil in his search. "See any blood here, or something broken?" he whispers. Approaching the door, he looks over the handle for possible traces and listens on it for a short time.

OOC (roll):

[roll0]
[roll1]

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira pokes around the room desultorily, a little disappointed that no clue had jumped out at them immediately. She'd thought the shed would have been an obvious place for the killer to take shelter, but there wasn't any blood here. Oh yes— maybe the door... She follows Raven to the door, about to ask why he's stopped when she realizes he's listening to see if anything is on the other side.

A little chagrined at her failure to think things through, she clears her throat. "Anything?" she asks Raven in a hushed voice, standing behind him.

[Deepblue706]

While the others find their own distractions, Puck finds his interest lying among the rusted gears and and broken pipes. Scratching his head the same way he always did (which was always at a point where his mind could never seem to piece together a thing), he peered down at the junked parts, mumbling to himself. He bends over to pick up a gear, to give it a closer inspection.

Spot: (details?) [roll0]

[EvilRoeSlade]

Hesiq follows Puck casually and crouches down, examining the broken parts as well.

As Ibrigil takes a summary of the room to spot any abnormalities, and Miira moves to join Raven beside the doorway, something happens all at once.

Only Raven's keen ears hear the rustle of cloth as a hulking, hunched figure in blood-soaked robes lurches out from behind one of the shelves and starts toward Ibrigil with murder in its eyes.

[KIDS]

Raven turns from the door at the last moment, seeing a shrouded but unmistakeably blooded figure stalking towards Ibrigil, seemingly with danger and malice in its gait. "Watch out!" he calls to others, standing ground near the door. Reflexively, his attuned mind reaches back to the plane of Thelanis and its magic surges forward as a swirling ray of multicolored hue like a rainbow rushes to the creature! Or perhaps in a moment of panic, somewhat away from it...

[EvilRoeSlade]

As the robed figure approaches Ibrigil, Raven's blast is mistimed and lands squarely in the area it was a mere moment ago. In its hand is something small and rust-colored, it raises it up and flicks it at Ibrigil, and it strikes him in the small of his back. Ibrigil's form arches and collapses, a dagger sticking out of his back.

Surprise round
Raven - 18
Adversary - 11
Hesiq -
Ibrigil - (11 damage)
Miira -
Puck -

[KIDS]

Refocusing his summoned blast, Raven flicks his fingers again and the another blast erupts from his hand, merging with the first one and rebounding back to strike the foe, this time with much greater precision. Purely on reflex, invoking this energy causes him to enter a strange reminiscent state as images of Thelanis course through his head wildly together with the robed attacker's shade. He could swear that there are voices too, but in another second, they are gone and the only sound is the low hiss of his blast.

OOC:
(description detail) I figured that since effectively I acted twice before others describing a 20/6 dmg would better fit as redirecting the first... *shrug*

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

The pain was overwhelming, and Ibrigil dropped to the ground senseless. He lay bleeding as the others confronted the murderer.

First round (which is the next round after he dropped below 0 HP, since the injury occurred during the surprise round), he fails to stabilize.

[Deepblue706]

Puck

Almost reflexively, Puck pinches a bit of wool from a small tear in his clothing, and holds it towards the attacker as he mutters words of an arcane nature.


Initiative: [roll0]

Casting Daze. Might only be a DC 12 spell, but I'd prefer not getting too close. Or shooting my bow when I can risk hitting someone else (no precise shot :smallfrown: ).


Regardless of the outcome of his spell, Puck then immediately grips his club in two hands.

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira starts in surprise at Raven's call, hand going to her sword. She manages to turn around just in time to watch Ibrigil crumple.

Exclaiming something unintelligeble (another language?), she rushes forward, sword out just in time to try to bring it up into the creature's chest; unfortunately, her haste has made her striking angle rather clumsy.

Attack 12, damage 9.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Raven's blast of magic razes the figure's shoulder, causing it to let out a bellow and clutch its wound. It takes a single step, but Puck's glamour suddenly causes it to stop and glance around in confusion. Hesiq raises his crossbow and fires, but the figure tracks the man's aim and dodges relatively easily. It cringes at Miira's strike, but the angle of her blow merely causes it to glance off whatever is beneath the bloody robes.

Puck - 18+
Raven - 18
Hesiq - 16
Miira - 12
Adversary - 11 6 damage dazed
Ibrigil - 12 damage

[KIDS]

Raven

Raven mimicks the shrouded figure's reaction, cringing at the sight of blades flying around Ibrigil's body, hoping that their friend can still be saved. Caught in the torrent of magic, he feels more like having entered an arcane frenzy, channeling yet another beam at the enemy. Of course, due to haste and a lingering sense that Miira would not react kindly to being singed, his aim is slightly off and thus the actual attack might go to the Host knows where...

results from die rolling thread: attack = 7, dmg = 4; boo

[Deepblue706]

Puck

"It worked? My spells never work!"

Puck, not really sure of what else to do, charges forth and swings his club at the figure with all of his strength.


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
AC at 14 until next turn

Edit: oh, I forgot about the die rolling thread. Shall I reroll there?

[The_Snark]

Miira

In the back of her mind, Miira is conscious that Ibrigil is slowly bleeding to death, if he isn't dead already. She can't understand the creature's (was it a man) sudden hesitation, halting for a moment as if suspecting a trick, but as Puck joins the fray, she takes advantage of it, bringing up her sword and swinging it in an arc with a fervent prayer. Rishava, if you see fit, guide my hand.

Smite evil! Attack 17, damage 13.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Puck scores a hard blow into the robed figure's gut, unbalancing it for a moment. Following up on her advantage, Miira's strike lands true. Even her powerful frame doesn't seem to adequately explain her devastating blow, which tears open the woolen robe and gouges open the enemies stomach.

The ruined robe falls off to reveal a half-orc, not particularly old or muscular, but rather a gangly and awkward adolescent. Its eyes are wide open in shock, in another moment it gurgles up a river of blood before falling on its back, eyes vacant and unseeing.

[KIDS]

Gripped by the magical torrent, Raven hardly notices the assailant falling and nearly empties another magical charge into him. But Ibrigil's bleeding body at his feet is enough to return him to reality and shake off the eerie energy. "Ibrigil! Quick, someone help him!" he rushes to the fallen friend and pauses, not knowing exactly what to do. Nor has he sailed enough to have experience with open wounds and deadlier things.... trying to follow common sense, he turns him to the side and looking for something to stop the bleeding with, stares at the dagger Ibrigil was attacked with.

aid another on someone else's heal check.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Hesiq rushes over and gingerly removes the dagger in Ibrigil's back before putting pressure on the wound.

[KIDS]

Raven gets an idea concerning his own wilding talent for magic; he reaches for Ibrigil's clothes and searches his pockets and backpack, looking for scrolls or potions. With his penchant for ancient studies, there was actually quite a good chance of him having something useful to help him... or maybe not. While searching, he gives others a helpless look and the fallen orc a look of disdain. "What should we do now?"

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira feels a moment of peace as she strikes truly. I am not abandoned. Thank you; may my doubts not condemn me too much.

Then the real world returns as the half-orc topples. She stands over Raven and Hesiq anxiously, trying to watch without getting in the way. "I don't know," she says anxiously. "Is he all right? Does he get better?"

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil groaned and remained unconscious, although the quick action of Hesiq and Raven stopped most of the bleeding.

[Deepblue706]

Puck, without any healing spells or medical knowledge, stands in the background trying to decide what to do.

"I'll go tell Grauff! Maybe he has something that can help Ibrigil!" He hustles to the door.

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira hovers over Raven and Hesiq as they continue to tend to Ibrigil, waiting for somebody to tell her how she can help. As Puck leaves to go tell Grauff, a thought occurs to her, and she kneels by the attacker's body, turning it over to get a good look at it.

Detect Evil to see if there's a lingering aura; also checking to see if the half-orc is dead or just dying.

[EvilRoeSlade]

The killer is certainly dead, it seems Miira's strike was almost instantly fatal. Beneath his wool robe, which looks similar to some of the garments in Grauff's storage, there is a rusty but serviceable mace, and in one of the pockets are a pair of similar-looking vials small enough to fit in your palm, each containing a clear liquid. Behind the shelves that the killer had been lurking behind is a lootbag with several things in it. Scrolls, some blank and some not, vials of ink in various colors, satchels containing powder.

[KIDS]

Raven shakes his head as he tries to clear away the confusion creeping at him and attempts to make sense of the items. "Damnit. Allright, this could be... where have I seen these glyphs...Hesiq, anyone, do you have any ideas about all of this?" In a weird middle ground between frantic search and a calm analysis, Raven loses himself in the found items while trying to discern what would help and what would harm Ibrigil. And were those poisons? Hopefully not...

[EvilRoeSlade]

On one of the vials, there is a tear drop symbol, which is commonly associated with healing. A K is imprinted on the bottom beside a glyph, which seems to be the symbol of a magewright.

Hesiq places his hand above one of the parchments and glyphs and runes begin scrolling above it. His eyes follow the letters with comprehension dawning. The process repeats with each of the four scrolls containing writing. Let's see. Cure light wounds. Cure light wounds again. Oh, this one has two, animal messenger and Melf's acid arrow. And three here. Pyrotechnics, protection from arrows, levitate. He pauses with a self-satisfied smile.

Returning to the trading post, Puck first enters the bar, which is nearly empty except for a patron in a blue-trimmed dark fur coat. It seems that most everyone is either in the lounge or the selling floor. Grauff is nowhere in sight, but the lone occupant pushes back her hood, she's a slender woman with dark-red hair that hangs about her face in curls. She rises languidly and starts toward the scruffy bard. Hmm? Excuse me, is there something wrong?

[The_Snark]

Miira

"'Glyphs'?" Miira asks, looking up from the rusty mace. "What are they?" She looks back down again, frowning. "He doesn't have a knife. He couldn't have done that with a mace..."

[KIDS]

Raven grasps one of the healing scrolls, closes his eyes and tries to unleash its stored essence onto Ibrigil. His effort is completely instinctual, guided by the distant magic he witnessed once and otherwise relying solely on his mental strength. Being quite unexperienced in such matters though, he finds that it is very much like navigating through a maze, and he avoids becoming lost in the glyphs himself by only a small chance. A small tingle of energy appears on his fingers like the spell is going to be released, then fades.
"Hesiq, can you try? And do you think those are really healing potions?" Raven asks, trying to steady his heavy breathing.

[Deepblue706]

Puck

"Yes, yes, someone's hurt!" he says to the woman, panting. "Can you help me find someone who can close the wound? It's pretty bad!"

[EvilRoeSlade]

Hesiq glances at the potion and shrugs. I don't see why it wouldn't be. He shakes his head in response to the question regarding the scrolls.

The woman's eyes widen in concern. Oh my. She reaches into a pocket and pulls something out. Her hand brushes against Puck's as she slips a tiny potion into his hand. You'd better give him this. It sounds like he needs it.

[KIDS]

Struck by indecisiveness for another critical moment, Raven at last nods and reaches for one of the tear-marked vials. If this does some harm to Ibrigil I'll never be able to forgive myself, the mage thinks as he unstoppers the potion and carefully pours it into fallen friend's mouth.

[Deepblue706]

Puck

Simply assuming the liquid can bestow magical healing, he accepts it."Thank you! Thank you! We're in your debt!" He then turns back the way he came, cradling the potion in both hands so that he is sure not to drop it.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Puck returns to the storage room in time to see Ibrigil's body shudder before he regains conscious.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil coughed and groaned. "My back! Is it dead? Help..."

Seeing that the others were circled around him staring, instead of fleeing in terror, he lay his head back on the floor and took a deep breath.

"So I guess it's dead or something. Here, help me get up. It hurts; but I think I'll be okay. My thanks to whomever--" His voice caught as the events which preceded his sudden plunge into unconsciousness seized him and his mind registered how close he must have come to never waking again. "Really: thanks," he quavered earnestly.

He took stock of himself and the surroundings, frowning when he saw the gutted half-orc. "So this is him? The guy who tried to kill me? The murderer?"

[The_Snark]

Miira

"You're alive," Miira says, relieved; she'd left the parchment and bottles to Raven and Ibrigil once she realized what they were. It was a pity they had to resort to such things, but in the interest of saving Ibrigil, she thought it was probably all right. "Yes, that's him."

She glances up as Puck enters. "Did you get Grauff? Where is he?"

[Deepblue706]

Puck

"I don't know." Puck breathes heavily, but is noticably relieved to see that Ibrigil is alright. "Didn't see him anywhere, but a woman I bumped into handed me this, when I said someone was hurt." He reveals the potion, and then walks closer to Ibrigil. "You alright?"

[KIDS]

Raven breathes a sigh of relief as their friend starts moving again and is beyond danger. He leans down and tries to help Ibrigil stand up. "Yes, we killed him.... I do not know what he has to do with our search though. Could it be the monster we seek? He seems more like a thug to me..." he tries not to recall the terrible scene in the room and who might have done it again. Curious, he searches through the satchel full of mysterious powder found at the orc and sniffs it cautiously, trying to deduce what it might be.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Raven recognizes the powder as ground harac root mixed with hollow salt, a common ingredient for potions.

[KIDS]

Raven nods, satisfied with the results of his 'research', and takes the satchel carefully to stow it into his backpack. "Enchanting and supporting material for elixirs; I do not think any of us will be brewing potions sometime soon but it could be helpful in the future. Anyone has an idea on why this one was hiding here? Could it have been the same one we seek?"

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"I don't know. Let me take a look around, first, and try to figure out what he was doing here and why he attacked. Pretty young guy. Huh."

Ibrigil finished the search that the attack had interrupted.

[Deepblue706]

Puck stops to think about the situation for a few moments, completely forgetting about the potion he had by then tucked into his belt pouch, and the woman who gave it to him. "Is this really the kind of guy who could have done it?" He looks at the body. "I mean, didn't somebody say that man murdered was a wizard? I thought it was hard to sneak up on those kind of folks." He scratches his head. "Not very smart to attack us when he was clearly outnumbered, too. I'd think you'd have to be a bit more clever than that to make it through the inn with no problem." He glances back the way they came. "Maybe he had some help?"

[The_Snark]

Miira

"Wait. You think..." She shakes her head, bewildered. "You think there was more of them? There wouldn't be two murderers here, could there? Not unless they were together," she finishes, disenheartened. That was all too possible around here, it seemed. Corruption spreads like rot in timber, if not found...

[EvilRoeSlade]

There is little else to find besides that which you have already turned up. The door to the next room is barred with a rusted padlock, and a blood-stained blanket indicates where the attacker had been sleeping.

[KIDS]

Raven

"Well, I cannot say but what do those people in the living room know? I got the impression that they were quite carefree and anyone could have sneaked past them. I wonder whose blood exactly was it on him. So stay sharp for some more time..." Raven has only a few comments while searching, discovering nothing else. Encountering the padlock barring them from another room, he looks to others if they have means of removing it normally and shakes the mechanism with his left hand. If that fails, he points his other hand at the metal from very close and starts channeling into it the magical energy which could eventually overload the lock...


OOC:
Spend 10-15 seconds searching the door for traps or oddities, that is two checks.
using Eldritch blast to melt the padlocks. As untyped magical damage it should ignore hardness but deal half damage to objects (there is an invocation to make it deal full damage instead of half)

[Deepblue706]

Puck stands about silently, watching Raven work his magic.

[KIDS]

Raven maintains his channeling for half a minute, but upon noticing that he hasn't even gotten the lock significantly warmer, gives up and lets the rainbow beam disappear. "It seems beyond me to melt, at least for a time. It is iron after all, even if rusted. Anyone else has an idea?

[The_Snark]

Miira

"We could ask Grauff if he has a key," Miira says, clearly reluctant to try breaking the luck; she'd backed away a bit and glanced away sideways when Raven began using his magic.

[Deepblue706]

"Yeah, let's go talk to Grauff." He takes a step towards the door, and then halts as he remembers the potion. "Oh! Since we don't need this, I think I'll go return it. You fellas should go meet with Grauff and we can meet back here, okay?" Not giving anyone much a chance to reply, he is already halfway out the door.

[KIDS]

"We will wait for you here," Raven says to Puck as he moves after him to the door, just out of instinct to watch him until he is safely in, within the main building. Remembering something he waves at the departing man and raises his voice a bit to carry through the ice-laden air. "Inform Grauff too, if you find him! A thought comes to him while waiting and his fair face alights with the essence of someone pleased to find his mind hasn't switched off yet. "Miira? Don't we have those keys, that set Grauff gave us? Where are they? I foolishly tried to damage the lock before we could use it but hopefully it will still work."

[Deepblue706]

Puck

"Oh, why did I have to go alone?" Puck asks himself, as he makes his way through the storeroom. "Who knows if that guy had friends. Who knows..." He stops talking to himself and just presses on. "No, we got him. That's it. No reason to be afraid..." He returns to the bar, glancing around for the woman. "Dark-red hair...blue coat...Dark-red hair....blue coat...pretty looking..." He mutters to himself, to jog his memory of her appearance.

[EvilRoeSlade]

The back room obviously hasn't been disturbed for a long time, as the grudgingly cooperative lock and the thick layer of dust within makes clear. It looks like it might have been an office once from the battered desk, but now its used to store dry goods and emergency supplies.

The dark and cluttered storeroom is as hard to progress through the second time as it was the first. There is no light or windows, and though the floors are clear of obstacles, there is little room to navigating. Making his way past a suit of armor on a display case that wasn't there before, Puck - no wait, there is no display. It seems the armor is standing up on its own - or rather with the help of its occupant. And just as Puck realizes he isn't alone, a rough hand grabs him by the wrist.

[The_Snark]

Miira

"Oh! Yes." Flushing faintly, Miira digs at her waist; the fur pants she has on over her normal clothes are covering the keys. She looks at the keys, selecting the one that looks most likely to fit, then inserts it into the lock and carefully tries to turn it, moving it about slowly so as not to break it by accident.

She'll repeat until she finds the right key, breaks one off in the lock, tries them all, or d) Other.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"He has a blanket here, and was obviously using it. If he's a drifter, then he was making this his shelter from the storm. If he was a hired killer or a man with a grudge, though, I'd have expected him to hit the road--snow or not--as soon as he was able to get a head start on any pursuit. If he were thinking, the snow would actually be in his favor: cover his tracks. At least, I doubt we would have found him if he weren't still on the premises. And that mace. Something carved up that man upstairs; it didn't flail him. But there's still the blood, and the unprovoked attack on us. Something doesn't add up."

He ran a finger through the dust on the shelves. "Grauff must not have much need for this stuff. Don't know why he'd put his office in an outbuilding, either. A workshop, perhaps. Meh. Maybe he's just the solitary type. Doesn't seem very sociable, anyway."

[Deepblue706]

Puck

Puck screams out, as he immediately tries to pull away. "AHH! D-D-DON'T HURT ME!"

Escape Artist: [roll0]

[EvilRoeSlade]

You think you can hear someone screaming in the distance.

The hand releases Puck and Grauff's harsh voice speaks out. Calm down. Can't think of any reason to hurt ye, can you? A pause. What the hell are you doin'? Where are yer friends?

[Deepblue706]

Puck

Puck holds his hand over his chest as he breathes deeply. "Don't do that!" He takes a moment before answering. "They're outside - in that shed. We found someone - he tried to hurt us, but...well..." He gestures the way he came. "Would you like to see for yourself? I think that'll explain things best."

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira straightens, leaving the key ring dangling from the lock. "What was that?" she asks, hand going to her sword as she looks towards the doorway. "Did you hear someone yell?" She moves for the doorway leading out of the shed, quickening her step as she reaches it and goes back out into the snow.

[KIDS]

"Hmmm.... no such luck. It seems no one was in here for a long time," Raven acknowledges as he leans down to brush off a layer of dust from a crate or two. "I know I know, I was wondering the same. Perhaps the snowstorm scared him off from that route... or he was not connected with this at all and our own search came in at the most innoportune moment...?" He muses some thoughts aloud and some silently, trying to make sense of this.

Raven almost misses the scream, only realizing that something is wrong when Miira rushes back to the door. "Besides, that shout hasn't bee...wait, what was that?" Realizing that something is going on, he rushes off after her.

OOC:
take 10 on searching the room for 12; or if someone more skilled is doing it, use it for aid another...

[EvilRoeSlade]

Making your way back to the storeroom, you encounter Grauff and Puck midway. Grauff isn't particularly intent on conversation, he stumps past you until he arrives at the supply shack. His eyes narrow as he stares down at the half-orc corpse. What happened here? His voice is a growl.

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira stops as they encounter Grauff and Puck, getting caught up in their wake as they head back to the outlying shack. "He stabbed Ibrigil," she explains, gesturing to the bloody knife lying on the floor. "Do you know who he was?"

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil rubbed his back, just above the kidneys. Still feels like that hunk of steel's sticking me there.

"He had a knife, so he might have been the one to carve up the magicker. Had a mace, too. He jumped us without any provocation--we just came in here and he attacked. He seems to have been bunking out behind these shelves."

Satisfied with his summary, he watched Grauff for any sign of recognition.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Grauff frowns, silent for a long moment. His head slowly tilts toward the entrance door as if hearing the arrival of another person. Then he shakes his head and looks back at the body. Know him. Wouldn't really say that I know him, but I know who he is. Drifter that's been coming here for the last year or so on and off. Dolly lets him sleep in the stables. She figures I don't know about him but... Dolly isn't too bright, and I know everything that happens here. Abruptly his gaze jerks from the corpse and fixes first on Miira and then on Ibrigil. Figured he was harmless so I let it happen. His frown bears blunt accusation. He isn't the killer. We caught the killer while you were out here. And the thing about your story is... you don't look particularly stabbed. He now falls silent, brow furrowed, fingers tapping the hilt of the axe at his belt.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"Well of course not. I'd be dead now if they hadn't intervened magically. You can see where the knife went through my clothing, though--right here. I can't see back there, but I'm sure if you look, the flesh is still puckered and red. It itches and throbs, but at least I'm not bleeding. And not all that blood on the floor is his--in fact, that puddle there is mine."

"What's this about having caught the killer, though? The trail of blood led outside here. Who was it? How do you know?"

[EvilRoeSlade]

At Ibrigil's explanation, the surly dwarf stomps toward him and grabs him by the shoulder, jerking him about face so that he can survey the magically healed wound. So ye've a rash. I'm not too impressed, boy.

The killer, aye. Brak Underly, one of my best customers. Comes out of the deal room like a madman. Killed two patrons and wounded one of my staff before his own bodyguard gets to subduing him. Bodies are in my stables, all three of 'em now. Brak's in my cellar, seeing as how Sergeant Haryl asked me not to cut his head off.

He shakes his head slowly, a troubled look on his stony visage for the first time since you've seen him. But that's back in my lodge, and we're here in my shed. Now here's what I figure. You come in here, see this poor sod, and either you jump to conclusions or you decide you'll get your pay quicker if you get yourself a scapegoat. So you kill him and fix things around all half-assed to try and fool me into thinking he's the killer. What do you think? Did I hit the mark, or do you have a better story for me?

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira's mouth falls open. "What? No! You think we'd kill him for—for money, and let the real killer walk free?" She gestures indignantly to the bloody knife again. "He hit us before we'd even seen him! What were we supposed to think? We were following bloody footprints through the snow, and we knew there was a killer somewhere, and he stabbed one of us. What—I mean—" She shakes her head, clearly agitated. These people really think these things about one another?

[KIDS]

Raven lowered his head and muttered something that sounded like a dreadful curse - as far as Sylvan language could seem like it - staring at the half orc's corpse remorsefully. "So this was just a... passerby?" Does it change anything? We are tainted now too... Realizing what Grauff is thinking he gives the dwarf a disapproving glare. "No, you're wrong. We came in here after seeing blood on the handle there in the other room and the trail leading out in the snow; he attacked us and we retaliated."
Trying to think quickly, he tries to imagine how the situation looks from Grauff's side and go from there. "If he was not the one responsible for the magewright it's a sad thing, but he still jumped at us with a knife and there was no time to see who had done this and that. Really, what were we supposed to think?"

OOC:
see diplomacy in dicerolling thread

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil groaned. "A rash? For the love of Aureon.... Here. You saw the blood in the snow, right? Started at the door and trailed out here, with a dusting of snow overlaying it. That shows that the blood was laid down sometime earlier. It couldn't have been in the last few minutes, like it would need to be if we were trying some sort of scam. Even if this boy was the one who carved up your guest upstairs, there was still some sort of funny business here. It would be best to assume that matters aren't as simple as a business deal gone sour or something like that. The wizard wasn't just killed, he was flayed. Even without the complication of two possible killers, it still doesn't make straightforward sense."

[Deepblue706]

Puck

"No, no, no! Nothin' like that, Mr. Grauff! Like they're sayin' - we were just lookin' 'round, and this guy attacked us. Don't mean to deceive ya, er anythin'. Just...didn't think you housed lotsa people who are prone to stabbin' each other, is all..."

[EvilRoeSlade]

Grauff frowns darkly and surveys the scene. Funny ye say? I'm not laughing. He nods, as if deciding something. I'd best put this one with the rest. Then I've got to get back inside and calm things down before someone decides to set fire to my Well. The dwarf grimly seizes the body by the shoulders and tries to lift it, but only manages it partially. Bit of help, would ye? Oh, and I'll have those keys back now.

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira retrieves the keyring from where it had been hanging in the rusted lock, handing it back to Grauff and then helping to shoulder the young half-orc's body. She keeps quiet, but from her face she seems to be relieved that the dwarf is starting to believe them.

[Deepblue706]

After a moment of hesitation, Puck helps Grauff in moving the body. From his facial expression, he does not enjoy being so close to a corpse.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil stifled a sigh. That'll have to do, I guess.

He bent over to give a hand with the body and felt a twinge in his back. He decided that it wasn't worth tearing the recent wound open, despite the fact that the wand made him feel like he already had a week's worth of healing.

"I'll get his weapons. The constabulary might want to take a look at them." He followed the others.

[KIDS]

Relieved slightly that Grauff doesn't want to attack them too, Raven moves behind them with a darkening mood. He would have helped with the body with only a bit of reclutance but since others offered aid first he was spared that effort. "That captured man, Brak... is he being held alone, can we speak with him? Does this Sergeant holding him now usually operate around these parts or he just happened to be passing through?" he asks, trying to piece together some of the puzzle.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Between Miira's strength and Grauff's tireless determination, coupled with Ibrigil's helpful assistance, the rather heavy body is managed to the stables. There Grauff calmly packs the corpse with snow into a bale of hay and stacks it next to one of three similarly morbid packages (one of which is covered in a bloody cloth tarp).

At last he turns to Raven, frowning as he looks him up and down. Now why the hells would you want to do that? Beh, I don't care. Yeah I'll take you to him. Grauff steps over to a frozen bucket of water and punches a hole through its icy surface, rinsing his hands before casually wiping them on his leather breeches. He glances cautiously over his shoulder although the stables are as eerily silent as ever, and then turns to Raven with narrowed eyes. Lets get this straight. Lenna's no constable. She's not the law. She's a soldier, and you need to remember what that means. I'm the one holding Underly. And I'm the one with authority here. I've never seen her before, to answer your question. Talk to her yourself if you want to know more. Which reminds me, she said she wanted to speak with your lot. That's why I was looking for you in the first place.

The common rooms Grauff leads you through are deserted save a few employees of the outpost, skulking in the shadows and removing broken dishes and cleaning up unsavory stains. Below one of the double stairs leading to the guest rooms the dwarf unlocks a door which leads down to a chilly wine cellar. Here there is a door with a barred window. Oddly enough it appears to have been designed specifically to hold prisoners. Grauff releases the lock on this door and shoves it open, stepping inside and allowing you in as well.

The room is dank and unpleasant, furnished only by mossy stone benches that might also serve as uncomfortable beds, and a single chamberpot that seems to have been used recently judging from the foul smell.

The businessman making a fuss about the late magewright earlier is here, though he strikes an entirely different expression now. His expensive clothing is ripped and blood-stained in contrast to neatly combed hair. One of his eyes is swollen and black, the other is wide and frantic.

As Grauff enters Brak rises immediately from the stone bench he had been sitting on, raising a hand and opening his mouth in a half-begun plead. With the practiced ease of a skilled brawler, Grauff knocks him hard back against the stone wall, and not content to leave it there, punches the human hard across the cheek. Grauff Grauff have you gone mad? Stop this madness! You can't do this to me! You'll never get away with it!

Traitor, growls the dwarf. He looms over Brak, seeming to contemplate striking another blow before stalking over to the far wall and crossing his arms. By all appearances he has no intention of letting you ask your questions out of his presence.

So who are they? His eyes dart frantically over your group. My executioners?! I'll only say this once, if you don't get me out of this hole immediately you're going to pay dearly! I know people!

[KIDS]

Raven sniffs suspiciously at the room they enter, regretting is as the "fresh" smell washes over him. Besides, why was there a perfect room for holding prisoners in here? Either Grauff or this inn had a shade to them that they have not yet uncovered.

Stepping inside, he glances over Brak, passing him quickly, then offers the ravaged businessman a reassuring, solicitious gaze. "Hello there sir. I'm called Raven. Are you allright, can you tell me how this started?" he asks the man quietly, hoping that a "nice" approach will be the most successful. Others may deal with Brak if they will; Raven has no intentions of decieving their host and asking questions that he shouldn't hear, so the half-elf focuses on gaining more information first.

[Deepblue706]

Puck

""I know people"? Sheesh, this fella wants to scare Grauff instead of try to convince him he's innocent?" Puck ponders silently. Not really sure of what to ask the man, he stands back, letting Raven go about whatever business he had in mind.

[The_Snark]

Miira

"And maybe tell us why you did it?" Miira adds on to Raven's words, frowning coldly. She saw no reason whatsoever to be kind when this person had murdered people. He didn't even look as if he wanted forgiveness, or realized he needed it. A man that far astray from the Path was lost, or at least beyond the reach of the likes of her.

[EvilRoeSlade]

No! The man's shout is startling. I didn't do it! Isn't it obvious? What possible reason could I have to do such a thing? It was that black gremlin! A cackling figment! Everyone saw it! I killed them! I did it but it wasn't me!

[Deepblue706]

Puck

"Wha..."

Puck scratched his chin as he considered what Brak had to say. His pa used to talk about weird monsters all the time. Too bad he never really paid any attention...

Bardic Knowledge check for having any idea of what he's talking about: [roll0]

"You killed what? How? And who saw? Give us names - we can ask them."

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira starts, hand drifting uneasily towards her sword before she stops it. Is he a madman? Well, he must be, if he killed someone and flayed them, but... "What do you mean, everyone saw it?" she asks suspiciously, turning to Grauff. "There wasn't anything, was there?" If there had been some sort of demon visible, surely Grauff would have said.

Even if there hadn't, though... two people had just attacked others for no apparent reason. She knew these lands suffered from dark spirits of all sorts, and when such things happened, it might be a sign of their presence.

[EvilRoeSlade]

The man's eyes narrow. Why should I tell you anything? I'm innocent, so you have no right to be questioning me. If you aren't going to get me out of here this instant, then this conversation is over, do you hear?

Grauff shakes his head at Miira. Nah, He's been spouting gibberish ever since we put him down. Though come to think of it, he's actin' awfully normal now. The dwarf gestures casually at Brak. This'd be about normal for Brak. His eyes narrow and he thinks out loud. What could have gotten into him? Poison?

[KIDS]

Raven blinks incredulously, unable to connect the babbled words into something coherent. He wishes that he would be able to see the world more as it truly is in the future, likely to his disappointment. But in this case it would be very useful.

When Grauff mentions his doubts, Raven's face grows into a heavy frown. wait....gotten into him.... "Posession?" he puts the idea forward. "Is he saying the truth about his connections? Maybe someone who was with him earlier can tell us why exactly he was here and if anything strange happened to him during the last few days..." he asks the dwarf.

OOC:
In case it's not a passive reaction already...
[roll0]

[EvilRoeSlade]

Grauff stares at Raven with his customary hard, unblinking gaze. Mayhaps they could. After a pause it becomes clear that he isn't going to offer anything further on the subject. So, ye done here?

[Deepblue706]

Puck

"Yeah," Puck nods. "I think so." He turns to Raven. "Let's uh, go see what this Lenna wants, eh?"

[KIDS]

Curses and doom. Raven supresses a frown and returns Grauff the firm, unblinking gaze. Whose side is that dwarf on, anyway? Or is he simply bound to protect his tavern from further damage - again somewhat hard to believe seeing the circumstances here. "Just one more detail, actually" he says, turning back to the prisoner.

The elvin man turns looks at Brak, mimicking hypnotism though transmitting no real power between them. But what would any of those near him think of the silent exchange? If Brak believed that Raven could see into his spirit world too, even better. It was a very slim chance, but one where there was little to lose... and truth be told, there really was something in Raven's emerald eyes that could have very much been interpreted as otherwordly sight.

After several seconds, he breaks the eye contact and nods silently to Puck. "Done. Should we see Lenna now?"

OOC:
[roll0]

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira frowns, nodding slightly as Raven asks whether it might be possession. She takes a few moments to concentrate. He was normal now, so she didn't think she would find any taint, but if his outburst earlier meant an altavar was still lurking in his spirit, she might find it. And if she found nothing—it might only mean it had left already. She'd make sure to examine the others, in order that they not have a third person go mad and start killing.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Sulking on his bench, whatever Brak's reaction is to Raven's steady gaze is kept close inside him.

Miira's vision blurs and distorts while she seeks out supernatural evil, and then hones in on Brak, who now appears to have a fading, sickly red aura about him. Even as she spots it, it dissolves into nothing and is gone.

Yeah, I didn't figure ye'd care ta put up with him long. Grauff gives a shove to anyone who leaves the cell too slowly and locks the door up, leaving Brak to his sullen silence.

Back upstairs the mess has been cleaned up, though there are still no guests anywhere in sight, except for a heavily-armed hobgoblin sitting alone in the dining room, smoking a cigar in silence. Grauff knocks on the back room door on his way up the stairs where his clanking grows fainter. A moment later a plain-faced shoulder in the uniform of Breland's armed forces opens the door from the other side and peers around unhappily. When he spots you he assumes what could be a neutral expression. You there. Are you the survivors of the Lyrandar passenger ship, Fated? He fishes out a piece of paper and looks over it.

[The_Snark]

Miira

It was there! Maybe even while we were speaking to him. Tension floods through Miira; she'd been right. She gives a prayer for Brak's soul, hoping that he had not been too tarnished by this exposure, and wished one of her lords were here to help cleanse him and find the spirit. But they aren't here; I am. We must make do with what we are given.

She tries to maintain the sight as they leave, hoping to catch more traces of the spirit's presence, but Grauff's shove disrupts her, and she realizes the others are all moving faster than she. She hurries to catch up with them. "Raven," she begins as they re-enter the common room, forgetting to keep her voice low, "I think you're—"

The soldier's entrance and interruption surprises her, and she politely breaks off and listens. "Yes," she answers. "I think that was the name, wasn't it?" She glances at the others for confirmation.

[Deepblue706]

Puck

"uhh..." Puck scratches his head at the soldier's question, quite obviously not-too-sure about the name. "Sure, yeah. Why?" he then asks, followed by a glance to Miira.

[KIDS]

Raven looks over the hobgoblin briefly as the walk by, wondering what the creature thinks of all of this. Has it seen worse in its life? Judging by the relaxed posture, probably...

As they enter the back room he expects a woman - at least according to his first impression - and is somewhat surprised. Still, he manages to keep it in check and stop wondering who the particular person is or isn't. It would be of no help anyway. "Yes we are. Why is that of importance?" he asks politely, wanting to hear more from the soldier before knowing what to think of this. Has their group earned some notoriety or fame already? The half-elf returns a questioning gaze to Miira, wondering what she wanted to say. He wants to ask but it can wait until they are out of here anyway.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil silently observed Brak's behavior and speech throughout. Frankly, he was puzzled. Something--more than one something--about this entire series of events bothered him. Of course, what sort of man would I be if it didn't bother me? As they were leaving the cell, he paused and turned back to Brak. "Innocent or not, you might consider helping those who aim to help you." He didn't wait for a reply before hurrying to catch up with the others.

When questioned by the soldier, Ibrigil glanced at Grauff to see if this was expected. "Is he one of Lenna's?"

[EvilRoeSlade]

When Ibrigil turns to look for Grauff after he speaks, he discovers the dwarf has already left. The soldier grunts and clears his throat. I am indeed stationed under Sergeant Lenna Haryl sir - all of us here are with her unit. He gestures into the open door leading to the private back room from which he had emerged. The Sergeant awaits you civilians.

Within the back room, men and women in blue and gold Breland uniforms sit around a circular wooden table. The room itself seems well-used and spartan, little more than an out of the way place where merchants can conduct their dealings in private.

The soldier's subdued conversations end and they all rise and step towards the wall, placing their backs fully against it, save for the youngest one, a short-haired and straight-backed woman with a puffy scar across her lip. After rising she greets you with a cordial nod and gestures for you to be seated.

How do you do? I'm Sergeant Haryl. My squad got stuck here in the storm along with everyone else before we could meet up with our company and begin our mission. She furrows her brow. Our mission... was the investigation and salvage of the Fated. I'm glad that there are survivors, but where can the others be found? Surely you aren't the only ones. She rubs her chin. Why don't you start from the beginning and tell me everything that happened.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

Ibrigil took the proffered seat and crossed his ankle over his knee. "If there are others, I don't know about them. I was thrown some distance from the main wreck when we crashed. Maybe I jumped out on the way down: I can't remember the last minutes just before we crashed. It was panic and confusion as we went down, then...waking up on the ground. I don't know why I wasn't injured more desperately from the landing; but all I got were a few scratches and bruises. One of the vagaries of fate, I guess. I blacked out, too--but that's no surprise."

"When I woke, I made my way toward the smoke to see if there were anyone else alive, someone I could help. Eventually, we all gathered. I suppose it's possible that someone else had been thrown from the wreck as I was. We didn't find anyone else alive, though. The captain was crushed, for certain. The mate...well, we found a body part that looked like it belonged to her, but none of us were in a condition to look too closely. There were some other crew-members that were obviously dead, too. Weren't there a few other passengers, though? I spent most of my time playing Stones with Hesiq and didn't get to meet everyone."

[Deepblue706]

Puck

Having been a stowaway, Puck is not too thrilled to be answering questions about what had occurred. He is a bit less nervous in dealing with a woman, but he still had to give his answers some thought, which wasn't the easiest for poor Peter. "I'm not too sure what happened either. I was in one of the holds - I like wandering around those things, you see - and then suddenly I felt the ship moving out-of-control, and there were some screams..." he trails off a bit for a moment. "We crashed, and I was sure I was dead. I was beat up pretty bad, but I was in what I think was one of the safer parts of the ship, so I guess that's why I made it through. Well, I owe it somewhat to these folks, too - I ended up a bit buried in wreckage, you see." He scratches his head as he offers a glance to a few members of the party. "After they got me out, we gave a good look around, but we didn't spot anyone else. I couldn't really do much of a count, I mostly kept to myself during the voyage. And, we couldn't look forever, since we were pretty desperate...apparently our instincts weren't that bad, since another night out there would probably mean we'd all be frozen in the snow, by now..."

[EvilRoeSlade]

Lenna's lips press into a disapproving line. Alright, so what I'm hearing is, you can't tell me whether or not you're the only survivors because you didn't do enough of a search to be sure. She sighs. I guess I can't blame you, it isn't your job, and you're lucky enough to be alive as it is.

Her gaze narrows on Puck. Puck, I believe Grauff told me your name was? I'm assuming that's a nickname, because it isn't on the copy of the passenger roster I have. Your full name, please?

[KIDS]

Raven first shakes his head as if fearing someone is going to convict them, but hearing Lenna's relaxing words transforms it into an empathic nod. "It was like a storm or such, as if something strong tore the ship off its path and down into a spiral; I was just on the way down from the main board when the ship started plunging down. I couldn't tell what was going on; though I was fortunate enough to not be seriously hurt in the landing, it was obvious others weren't so lucky.
But as you say... you are right, there could have been other survivors. Our search just didn't turn up any," he says a bit defensively. Thinking about the incident he shivers. His unnatural mark prevented him from killing himself back home, and it prevented him from being killed back at the airship. Would it give him a third chance if such a thing occured again?

[Deepblue706]

Puck

Puck's fears had come true. They had a copy of the roster, and he would not be found on it. The situation had become so desperate that he could cry.

"Yes," he hesitates a moment. "Puck's my nickname; my real na-" He suddenly pauses, holding up his right hand, and sticking his face into the elbow of his left arm. "ACHOOO!" he sneezes, and then looks back up. "Whew. Excuse me. My name is-" he holds his hand up again. "ACHOOO!" he sneezes again, but apparently forgot to cover his face. He sprays Lenna with a mist of saliva, contorting his face in a manner as if he is about to sneeze again. "I'm so sorry!" He cries, as he then turns back to his elbow. "AAAAACHHHOOOOO!" He turns away. "By the gods!" He sniffs. "Please excuse me - I need my medicine! I'll return in just a moment!" He turns toward the door, continuing to sneeze as he tries to leave the room.

Bluff check to make the "sneezing" believable.

[roll0]

[EvilRoeSlade]

Lenna stares at Puck in a state of shock, and when he rises she lurches from her seat. Puck is seated on the side of the table leading toward the door, but when he gets there it is only to discover that it is closed and a stocky soldier in his forties is leaning on the handle. Lenna comes up behind him.

Is there something you need to tell me?

[Deepblue706]

Puck

Just stick to it, Puck thought. A good plan never goes wrong if you see it all the way through.

"I HAVE THE DEVIL'S SNEEZE! YOU HAVE TO LET ME GET MY MEDICINE!" He begins screaming. "GYAAAHHHCHOO!" He hides his face again. "I could die! Get OUT of my WAY!" He sneezes again.

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"Oh, no! His bag's probably up in the room where we stayed last night!" Ibrigil half-rose from his seat and looked concerned. "Please don't sneeze on me. I don't want to catch it!"

[EvilRoeSlade]

The teenage Sergeant's eyes become hard as stone, and she puts a palm against Puck's chest and shoves him against the wall. Meanwhile, her knee comes up hard and connects viciously with Puck's groin. His vision blurs and his head feels dangerously light.

She begins screaming. Do you think I was born yesterday?! I'm trying to do my duty to my country and here you are acting like a goddamn clown! I'm conducting this mission on the authority of the Crown, and you could be locked up and interrogated on my word! So unless you answer my reasonable questions, then this is the last you get to see of my nice side!

Is there anything you need to tell me, you stupid f-ck?

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira watches the scene with first concern and growing bewilderment, until the Brelish sergeant grabs Puck. "Sergeant!" she exclaims in shock, rising. "Puck! What's going on?" She sounds thoroughly confused, anxious, and surprised at the sudden turn in the conversation.

[KIDS]

Raven flinches as Puck begins sneezing wildly, at first wondering whether he should jump to assist his companion. Heck, by all accounts this made no sense but if he was really choking... he becomes even more alarmed when Lenna leaps and pins him against the wall. "Wait, stop! Don't hurt him!" he shouts while moving forward with an open hand forward (though not so much to get impaled on someone's sword). He feels a surge of eldritch energy coursing through his body but supresses it on instinct before it can be unleashed.

"What is going on?" the half-elf intentionally leaves it unclear whether he means Puck or the Sergeant's "mission on the authority of the crown."

[Deepblue706]

Puck

Groaning as the sergeant begins to knock him senseless, Puck has a hard time answering. "Okay, okay, just stop!" He desperately holds out his hand to keep her at bay. He breaths a moment before resigning to telling the truth. If she had been on a mission for the crown, they might not care much about him. "My name is Peter. Peter Wigby. You won't find me on the passenger roster because I never registered. I didn't have the money to pay for a seat."

[EvilRoeSlade]

Lenna turns and stalks away from Puck, breath heavy. Sit down! She snaps. Both of you.

Returning to her seat but not retaking it, she snatches up a clipboard and looks it over. She looks back up at Puck and her gaze is calm, but less than friendly. You are on the roster. You're right here, your seats been paid for. May I ask why you're continuing to lie?

[Deepblue706]

Puck

What?

"What?" He scratches his head. "That wasn't...that...doesn't..." he remains a bit dumbfounded for a moment. "I have no idea...oh." he turns to Raven. "You-! You were the one, huh!" he turns back to the sergeant. "What I just said would have been true, I suppose, had someone else not covered my due." he remains a bit hunched, afraid to be struck again. "I'm not trying to be difficult - although being in a small room with a bunch of people who seem rather inclined to violence sometimes makes people act a little...desperate." he states, trying to justify his earlier actions.

[EvilRoeSlade]

No one got violent until I was made a fool of, Mr. Wigby. She frowns. Some things just don't add up, and the fact that you haven't been entirely honest to me doesn't help. From what you're saying, the five of you, an adventuring band with prior connection to each other, all happened to survive the crash just by chance, when there are no other survivors? It seems like a little too much to believe. Maybe you can help clear this up for me?

[PolkaBear]

Ibrigil Mesto

"Actually, it makes perfect sense. In the conditions out there, any survivors would need to band together to survive; so they would obviously be found together. Those who were unable to connect with the others would lack the resources to survive, and thus would perish. So if you find a group of the crash victims together, it would only make sense that they would be the survivors when the others perished. I seriously doubt that any of us would have been able to make it alone; but with the diverse group of skills we have here, we pulled through."

"I would think that finding single individual with the preparations or resources to survive alone would be much more remarkable than a group of people who helped each other in the face of shocking tragedy."

"We did our best to find other survivors. If there were others to be found, and yet we missed them, then I would think that to be most consistent with our lack of experience as an 'adventuring group,' as you say."

Ibrigil frowned and looked around. "By the way, where is Hesiq? Wasn't he with us this morning? He was another one of the survivors, Sargeant Haryl."

If my assumption that Hesiq is no longer with the group is incorrect, strike that last line.

[The_Snark]

Miira

Miira sits obediently, looking puzzled. "We didn't all know one another before we met on the airship," she volunteers. "Well, Raven and I did, but I didn't know anybody else. We met the others on the airship, and when we found one another after the crash, we thought it would be safer to travel together."

[Deepblue706]

"Raven and I met for a moment on the ship, but as Miira says, we're not an adventuring band. We're just a bunch of people who were on a vessel that crashed."