Paranormal Protection Agency - Night Shift

Mithral·Dragon · Jan 7, 2010

The Parchment and the Vellum

The slip of vellum the girl, Ally, was sent to deliver contained text in a flowing script. The lettering was golden against the creamy white surface. Whomever had penned the missive was undoubtedly well learned. Moreover, vellum like this was neither cheap nor easy to come by. It read:

There has been a disturbance at the Aerie of the Griffons. The Watch has not been notified and the Guard have been alerted of your impending presence. Please return with this Tout to expedite assistance.

~ Senechal Laea'lianna

A known name among the who's who of Waterdhavians, the Senechal serves as the warden for the Aerie which houses a number of Griffons. A fair-skinned high elf, her precise penmanship was easily explained. Her statement regarding the Watch meant only that this was not to become a publicly known occurrence.

Meanwhile, the parchment was reviewed as the portents of the vellum were considered. Far from the same quality, the words scrawled on it were marked by blotted and wiped ink. Looking more like chicken scratch than anything meaningful, it took several moments to realize the paper was even upside down! Once rectified and deciphered, it read:

Please come quick! One of my students didn't pay their tab for the new Semester. When I finally got the dorm door open he looked in an awful state! Unmoving and as gray as death! By the Gods, you must hurry or it'll be my head! This is the Ambassador's son we're talking about - a dandy of a dude, but still!!

~ Dean Lawrence, New Olamn

A dandy of a dude, the son to an Ambassador of some faraway large metropolis having never set foot beyond the big city, in trouble? What were the odds? There were only a few Ambassadors hailing from such large and prominent locales. Regardless, New Olamn - College of the Bards - would require as much attention and finesse as the Senechal. Both commanded great respect from the citizens and Lords of Waterdeep alike. Oddly, both were none too distant and in fact located on the Mountain, too.

OOC: While I know most DM's don't like the thought of splitting the party, if that is the will of the group, so be it. It is not, however, a necessity.
- MD

grufflehead · Jan 7, 2010

'Interesting' mused Helena once the contents of the messages had been relayed.

'A disturbance doesn't give us much to work on, nor any indication of why this has been brought to investigators of the paranormal. Nor indeed' she paused for a moment, 'why they have chosen not to involve the Watch. It seems the more urgent in tone of the pair though, with the possibility that the cause of this 'disturbance' may still be present or recently departed. I must confess I've no experience with beasts like griffons, so I'd suggest perhaps Vilastri might be best equipped to deal with that; his elven blood may also play well to the Seneschal's sensibilities'.

'Is it possible that the griffons have escaped or been attacked? Would having people with the capability of flight' - she glanced at the arcanely gifted members of the group as she said it - 'be of use there?'.

'The other message seems to suggest that the unfortunate individual is already beyond our help, and while it is important in its own way, we may have a little time before in which to control events. What is likely required is an investigation of the scene and any clues we can glean from it. An eye for detail and a word in the right ear may serve us better at the college'.

'Now we can see the tasks afoot, if I may be so bold Master Airard, might I suggest a slight alteration to your plan? I suggest Vilastri, Shard? - Helena looked enquiringly at the sorceress - and one other to the Aerie; we shall leave notice for Remedy to join them should he return. Master Airard, if you would accompany those of us who remain to the college, I believe our combined skills give us a better chance of success there'.

'Of course, if any of you have your own thoughts, please share them with us - I merely seek to get us on the move quickly to each of the sites'.

While she waits for the input of the others, Helena goes to one of the chairs near the wall, and retrieves both her cloak, which she wraps around her, and her satchel which she slips over one shoulder.

OOC posting a bit more in the OOC thread - don't want a wall o' text here distracting from the RP!

BOB101 · Jan 7, 2010

Randell pulls up a chair and strattles is backwards.

It sounds to me like the dandy boy's already dead. I could give a orc's left foot about Mr. Lawrence's head. The body isnt going anywhere and we are not paid to be diplomats. I say we keep our forces together. We are already going in half blind. No need to weaken our position further by splitting our forces. I say we head to the Aerie. We can assess the situation, and split up after we have had a look around.

OnlytheStrong · Jan 7, 2010

Posh continued his struggle with his familiar, "While the dormitory seems simple, I believe it could be very interesting and surprisingly complex. Although anytime an elf gets excited is something to take note of."

The hawk takes flight, which ends in a vicious looking mock dive that sends Posh flying under the table. Posh lands hard on the floor laughing, "Good thing I didn't make the spell that would prevent me from falling! I would of been a victim of yours, Rascal."

The gnome reappeared from under the table his normal looking self, although a large smile was across his face. "Come now, where were we? Ah yes, the elven lady and the dean..."

"Perhaps it is all a misunderstanding? No real adventure there..."

Maidhc O Casain · Jan 7, 2010

The tiny man's eyes twinkle as he watches Helena in action, and comparisons to various forces of nature cross his mind. Then he catches a glimpse of Shard's face as she finds herself swept up with the rest in the older woman's brisk manner. Interesting times indeed . . .

His impish humor comes to the fore, and he speaks in an outrageously flirtatious tone. "By all means, Lady Helena, be bold!"

He looks thoughtful for a moment when Randell speaks. "Investigations will be easier if we keep these guys friendly, and I suspect we'll be OK splitting up for the preliminary look-see. I propose we split as Helena suggested, do a 'meet and greet' and take a quick look at each site and meet back here once we know more about what's going on. We can revise our plans then. Leaning back in his seat, the halfling continues. "No touts for three days, and now we get two tripping over each other to bring us the latest? These two cases might even end up being related."

BOB101 · Jan 7, 2010

Randell scratches his beard, thinks for a second, and says,
A scouting mission you say. I can see the value in that. We do what recon is needed, then meet back here to better destribute our forces.
He looks to Helena, Posh, Nirenz, and Shard while speaking.
Can any of you get a message to the other squad if need be?

GlassEye · Jan 7, 2010

"If the boy isn't beyond the assistance of the healing arts," interrupts Korva, "I recommend Remedy to the College. If the boy is as near death as the Dean seems to suggest it may mean the difference between life and death. And if it gets us moving all the quicker, I volunteer to attend the Aerie with Velastri and Shard."

OnlytheStrong · Jan 7, 2010

"Nope, no way to send a message... I could start working on making one..." Posh says suddenly serious. Any excuse to increase his knowledge of spells greatly peaked his interest. This seemed like a good one.

Dragonwriter · Jan 7, 2010

Velastri listens to everyone speak, carefully making note of what he considers good and bad ideas. Eventually, he speaks calmly and clearly, saying without emotion,

"It would seem to me that, given the serious nature of both missives, we should adress each, rather than neglect one. There are enough of us to handle two missions, and we all have valuable skills. Judging by the sound of the college's problem, I would recommend the more detail-oriented to go there, in addition to Remedy, as a healer could very well be invaluable. It could very easily just be some kind of poison, or it could be a curse on this dignitary's son. Either way, a healer will help, or even if he's dead, a skilled mage might be able to talk to his spirit before it passes completely. I have no such skills, and Master Airard is likely to be just as good at finding small details as I."

The half-elf pauses, his mind seemingly drifting for a moment in thought. He blinks several times and continues, still calm and quiet.

"To that end, I would suggest Airard, Helena and Posh go to the college, followed by Remedy as soon as we can find him. I will go to the aerie with Shard, Korva and Randell. With this, we have a decent spread of skills and should be able to handle the most-likely situations at each location. I suspect the trouble at the aerie has something to do with a creature, though I could very well be wrong. However, do not expect my elf-blood to garner us any favor while we are there, as many elves do not care for half-breeds such as myself." Velastri shrugs as he finishes.

Another thought strikes him just after another sigh, leading him to say, "And I, at least, can use a simple magic that should be visible around the city. The cantrip that most refer to as the 'dancing lights' could be used to communicate... Say, four small lights if we need you to come to us, or one large light if everything is alright. Sound good? I would think it would be best to have someone keep an eye on the sky at all times, though I know it's more or less impossible... So, an answering two lights, by two castings of the cantrip... I expect the plain 'light' cantrip would work just as well. Any of you bother to learn, or commit either of those to memory today?"

OnlytheStrong · Jan 7, 2010

"Of course, of course. The majority of my race knows that spell. Perhaps a fireball would gather more attention... no that would be dangerous with the explosion and all... Perhaps I could invent some sort of flare... Yes, yes a weakened fireball! Of course! Rascal write this down!" Posh laughs as hi