Pathfinder 1E Crowns of Ice - A Tale of Blood and Betrayal - Arvid's Song

The Murders of Port Grandael

Brother against brother. Such are our days.

The sadness in the lawgiver’s voice struck true as he ordered young Fritjof restrained. The men dragged him towards his own household, to be kept under vigil, along with his fellow men.
“Such a silly dispute”, the rotund lawgiver said, right before forcing everyone else back to their own duties.

The whole port had stopped to see Fritjof and his brothers being imprisoned. Eight men, eight strong men, lost to madness, along with those they killed at sundown.

“All because of a debt”, one would say, and another would go “Volund had decided already”. A third one would go, “Einar decided, Volund was silent”, and a fourth, “It was not fair”, “It was the law”, “They hated each other”, and so on. Gosta Stormwind, the victim, was killed by the eight brothers as he returned from the north, bringing spoils, a heritage, or something like that. He didn’t even have a chance to leave the longboat. Neither had his men. Burned alive by unnatural fires, thrown by the young men’s own hands. “Witchcraft!”, people yelled, desperately trying to control the flames that threatened to engulf the docks along with the longboat.
A sad turn of events, perhaps. The boy loses his head, learns some magic tricks and decides to use them against his enemies. And soon enough everything is out of control.

Except for one thing.

As the eight boys were dragged down the streets, wet faces and confused glances, they could not understand why they were being imprisoned.

They remembered nothing.

***

Night falls. The eight brothers are sure to be kept under the lawgiver’s estate, a solid stone house not far from Volund’s keep. The docks are silent, scorched by the disaster, thieves and cutthroats running around as usual. In the mead halls, people try to forget this unfortunate day and mention, between their teeth, the names of the victims.

[Arvid has cause to suspect. You begin at any point you choose, as long as it is in the city.]
[MENTION=24380]Neurotic[/MENTION]

Dark figure prowled the night - even most vicious of cutthroats would shrink away from this one if they only bothered to look up. As the cloud moved from the moon face, the figure hanging under the roof was illuminated for shortest of instants before retreating deeper under the awning. And what moonlight showed would confirm what frightened whispers told about the prowler - clearly lupine head, body dark as the darkest night and claws at the tips of the fingers - a werewolf straight from children horror stories hangs under the roof only alley separating it from the house in which eight boys are kept. It moved surely in total darkness, one more proof of its supernatural nature.

It looked around once, twice, checked the cloud so it doesn't reveal it again and started down the wall, head first like some giant lizard. As it came down, it flipped the legs down and in quick three strides came to the wall of the guarded house and in seconds it was on the roof. Vertical wall slowed it just enough that an observer (if there were any besides rats) would notice it took some effort. No human strength could bring the body so fast upwards especially once it came to just under a roof and pulled itself above with slight push of the legs and single hand.

Coming at the guard from unexpected direction, two saex dropped him safely to the roof. Wolfman quickly positioned him so he looks like he's sitting and still doing his guard duty before opening the hatch and slipping down into the darkened house.

[sblock=Example rolls]
Attack: 1D20+7 = [17]+7 = 24
1D20+7 = [19]+7 = 26
1D4+3+2D8 = [3]+3+[6, 5] = 17
1D4+3+2D8 = [1]+3+[8, 8] = 20
- potential crit, not re-rolling - non-lethal, guard is down unless he's 5th+ level barbarian

I probably need some stealth, will roll if needed - but this is just intro, right?
[/sblock]

Garmmörk checks the layout of the room, height of the guard room and approaches the group from above, staying in the rafters where dancing shadows make him hard to see. Once he sees the guards take a drink he notes which one close the eyes while drinking and which one don't. He waits for the right moment and moves across the ceiling above the guards once their attention if focused on the dice and the drinking order is on the one who closes his eyes.

Once safely on the staircase he drops down under the eye level of the guards and checks the surroundings. Finding only simple doors, he starts opening them slowly to see if they would squeak, puts some grease on the hinges and proceeds deeper into the dungeon.

The boys exhausted by the ordeal sleep, at least those closest to the door. Garmmörk extinguishes the torches, leaving single torch at the end of the cells hall. In darkness, he comes to the first cell and awakens the person there. The boy startles awakening to the weak light from the end of the hall.

"Quiet boy!" comes a harsh whisper "I'm here to help. Don't make the sound!"
[MENTION=6855545]Archon Basileus[/MENTION], waiting for the reaction before I continue

The boy, younger than his brothers, jumps back, landing on his elbows. His confused expression is about to let out a call, but he manages to control himself. He turns his head, as if trying to understand how can such a beast communicate and walk as a man, the surrounding darkness stopping him from seeing the beast's true nature.

He rubs his eyes, his brothers laying silent in the adjacent cells.

"You can.. talk?" - he manages to say in a frightened whisper.

[Just a taste... Do your thing@ ]

@Neurotic

"You have good eyes, boy, I darkened the halls so I don't scare you. Now tell me what happened today. Start from the morning and include anything you noticed and thought 'how strange' at the moment, but ignored it. We have several minutes at most, be quick."

“Hunter’s eyes... We all got them.” – the lad smiles faintly. “Not so good a head over the shoulders, some might say… I mistook you for a dream, at first.”

Now tell me what happened today. Start from the morning and include anything you noticed and thought 'how strange' at the moment, but ignored it.

Click to expand...

He nods at the question. “Nothing too unusual. We went to the woods and returned before noon, cooked the hares we brought on the clearing by the docks. The southerner came by, as usual, with that girl of his, bringing his skin of kossu, as always. We ate, drank, talked and gambled a bit. After that it all blurs away, up until the time we get dragged here.” – he falls silent for a moment, and then starts once more, anxiety breaking through his breath. “Please, get us out! We don’t deserve this!”

[Aside from these five, only two more watch the gardens. They won’t be any wiser, should you leave through the trap door once more. I can put together a map if you want! ]

@Neurotic

"Where can I find this southerner and his woman?"

[Pretty much, given the gravity of the matter. Trial won’t even take long. Also, I realized your reasons for asking. All things considered, an escape would be quite easy! ]


“They live by the river, on the other side of town. Lavender’s alley. If you go there through the river, you should be able to see his room hanging over the stream.” – he waits for an answer, anxious and careful. His cooperation seems almost childish, too childish for someone messing with Lavender’s alley and its crowd. Bad part of the city, that is. Violent, inhuman, strange.

From Fritjof’s cell a dissatisfied grunt can be heard. “You’re another hired blade, aren’t you? You just want the healer’s head, as all others. Lawgiver’s been close on his case to this point. Who else might be wanting the man’s hide?” – Fritjof rises, his shape barely recognizable through the thick darkness. “Alas, you came in secret. Why don’t you prove your ‘good intentions’ and free us now? Before I get thirsty and call for the guards, full lungs?” – his mockery is crowned by a cruel, incisive smile.

The lad jumps as his older brother suggests the idea. “Don’t anger him, Fritjof, please…”. He slides back, keeping his eyes on the beast. “Please, don’t hurt us” – he says, as Fritjof waits for an answer. Clearly the older brother does not share the traits of the youngest. But the bastard can listen far and good, since he clearly heard the others’ whispered tones.

[NOW I'm comfortable, heheh! These intrigue stories are more down my alley. Lots of surprises to be had. ]
[MENTION=24380]Neurotic[/MENTION] [MENTION=2820]Fenris[/MENTION] [MENTION=6855204]tglassy[/MENTION] [MENTION=8058]Queenie[/MENTION]

Slight twitch of a hand something whistles toward the cell and in near perfect darkness hits the talker in the middle of the forehead. Sturdy lad remains sitting for the moment, but then slowly goes down sliding down the cell bars. Wolf-like figure prawls toward the boy and drops down near the body sniffing.

"I will not take such talk from you! Any of you." harsh whisper ending with a growl
"Be silent, boy, I will not hurt your brother. And any other awake by now. Silence." quick order prevents the young one from speaking


Returning to the youngest.
"I was thinking about letting you out, but with such attitude I cannot take you all. He is either guilty, knows something or sold you out. Now, while I wake him, tell me, what healer, what hired blade. And this time, the truth. Once he wakes, I don't want a word from you or I'll bite you too."

Garmmörk listens to the youngest as he quickly checks Ulms key in the cell lock and it opens easily. "I have to remember to thank Ulm for getting this one." thinks Garmmörk
coming down on all fours. He pulls the arm of the older boy out and takes a bite.

The pain jolts the boy awake and Garmmörk holds the boy close as he awakens, smiling bloodily into his face.
"You're mine now, boy. On the next full moon, you'll become a monster. Nothing like me, just a mindless, hungry killing machine. And I'll hunt you down with this"...the figure shows the boy silver saex marked with several runes. "Of course, you'll be beheaded tomorrow so probably won't matter. Call out to the guards. Or start talking and I might yet let you out. And give you an antidote."

Garmmork shoves the boy back and retreats back to cell entrance. "Speak!"

[sblock=Actions]
Throw climbing python: base damage; hidden strike damage; or lowered hidden strike damage: 1D20+4 = [8]+4 = 12
1D4+3 = [1]+3 = 4
2D8 = [8, 6] = 14
2D4 = [1, 4] = 5
- lowered hidden strike if you decide I don't get full damage because he knows I'm here, but still didn't think he'll be attacked.

Python throwing - simple weapon doing B or P - in this case Bludgeon and non-lethal (thus, low attack) - but attacking flat-footed for surprise as the guy doesn't seem ready to be attacked

OOC: [MENTION=6855545]Archon Basileus[/MENTION], we talked about leaving bite marks from a wolf (with a tool, not real bite) - this is what happens

Talk to the boy: Intimidate +15 (all modifiers apply, renown, bad light, MW armor, expensive); Sense Motive +5 if needed

Skeleton key for the cells: 1D20+10 = [18]+10 = 28 - skeleton key gets one check for the lock
[/sblock]