Enemy Among Us (DM: Stringbean2142, Judge: TwoHeadsBarking)

[ScorpiusRisk]

"Um. . . ." With Catein and Kendrick back there now seemed like there was too many options. I'm sure we should go check out this cabin, but after hearing about the marks on Lt. Rayn I really want to see them. If history tells us anything, it seems likely that if we don't leave anyone behind to guard the unconscious men, they will escape and probably hurt someone, but if we do stay to guard them it will most likely be uneventful, unless of course we leave too few people behind, then we'll be ambushed.

"I think. . . " I wish we had some sort of charismatic leader who could give us orders in an intelligent way so we would just know what to do without just milling about. . . *sigh* I guess things don't aways work out the way they should.

"I think Mr. Kendrick, should show Veruzak and I exactly what he saw, and then Mr. Kendrick, Mr. Atlas, Catein and Mr. Martelai should go down to the cabin. Just be sure to return before midnight so we know where you are and havn't gone from yourselves. Veruzak and I should be able to keep things under control until then, especially since we are so close to the rest of the town."

 

[Neurotic]

"Bell, please stop calling me mister Martelai. Martelai suffices. If we don't manage to return, we'll try to light a fire on nearby hill or some such."

[sblock=Arcane Ciphers]
I have a question about IAC: it is secret society and yet we need to recruit people which means there will always be those who reject membership and will know about it. Also, that means that we cannot talk in front of the rest of the party which seems strange. How do we deal with it? Esp. with rejectees, do we simply kill them? >:E
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[Mal Malenkirk]

-''Yeah, and stop calling me Mr Kendrick too. It's Mister Kent!'' Says Kendrick with a straight face.

 

[ScorpiusRisk]

"Martelai, Mr. Kent. Understood. Now let's go Mr. Kent so you can go check out the cabin."

With a smile and a nod Bell heads down to see Lt. Rayn's markings.

[sblock=Arcane Ciphers]Kill everyone? I dunno. To the discussion thread![/sblock]

 

[Stringbean2142]

[sblock=OOC]So, God hates me. I noticed that everyone seemed to be gearing up to hyead to the cabin, which required a quick rewrite on my part. I finish that and come here today to post and... now you might be splitting up, like in my original writeup. So sorry for the delay of a day, folks, but I have something for if all go or only some do.

To keep things on track, I'll intro both the herbalist investigation scene and the cabin scene. Put your character where you think he/she should be. Also, the unconscious people really are a non-issue; the two big choices right now seem to be between investigate the bodies or search the cabin.[/sblock]
The Square
Elder Frin shakes his head at Atlas's question. "We should be able to handle things here, although I can't swear on our ability to contain the three injured combatants if they awaken still aggressive. I'll have a guard sent to the herbalist's house, just in case. We'll keep them there in case, as MArtelai has suggested, it's a disease.

"As for Captain Yurian, he'll live but won't be fighting any time soon. I haven't told his wife yet, but will once things are a bit calmer. Jessel is a strong woman; she'll understand the need to deal with the problems first."

The Herbalist's Basement

The two older dead bodies and the fresher archer are all laid out naked, ready to be looked over. A helpful man from the square has laid the second archer out as well, but his clothes at this point in time remain on. In the corner, a queasy-looking guard watches over the three unconscious men and tries very, very hard not to stare at the dead.

The Cabin

The cabin is right where Elder Frin said it would be; at the top of a small hollow near the center of the Isle, flanked on one side by a roaring waterfall and on the other by a steep cliff face climbing to the foot of the mountian which stands dominate in this part of the mountain. There is an almost unearthly silence about the cabin, the type of silence that suggests someone or something is laying in wait.

The cabin itself is a simple two-story A-frame. No smoke pours from the chimney and the open door reveals a dark interior. Even the shutters on the windows are drawn, keeping what sunlight does enter the house confined to narrow strips between the boards.

[sblock=The Investigation]2 SUCCESSES

Clues/Facts:
- Three months ago, animals start acting up. It starts in forest, spreads to farms and village.
- Three weeks ago, a farmhand named Rand entered the Sea Foam Tavern and started attacking people. Was killed by a blow to the head.
- A week ago, Krill Kol enters the villages screaming about sparks and strange people before passing out. Has no memory of event on awakening.
- Six days ago, two people killed by an eight year old boy named Mart. Boy subsequently killed by Lt. Rayn.
- Patrols sent out to investigate. Eighteen men disappeared and one was found killed, apparently by a member of the guard. Lt. Rayn was one of the men who disappeared.
- Veruzak may have found something...
- Whatever is going on caused two men's brains to explode.
- The bodies of the victims so strange marks on the temple, neck, and ear areas.

Possible Actions:
- Talk with Krill Koll about his episode.
- Talk with the witness that are still around of the events.
- Investigate the bodies of Rand, Mart, and the archers. Arcana, Nature, Heal, or give me a good reason for something else. Different skills may reveal different things.
- Talk with Rayn and the scouts once they have regained consciousness.[/sblock]

 

[CaBaNa]

[sblock=Delete]*Knew I should have prepared that damnable feather-fall spell...* Veruzak considers the scene from the distance, eyeing the cliff...

Waiting for the others to catch up, he slinks to the edge of the hollow, and settles in to hide. Extending his mind out while covering his body, looking for any arcane presence that could pose a threat, or make a good contribution to the IAC.

*I hope what's his name passes, this little spot looks like an excellent addition to The Institutes real estate...*




[sblock=OOC]

Invisible Castle is down,
Stealth +8
Perception +7
Arcana +12

Neurotic and ScorpiusRisk, I answered some of your questions in the OOC thread for The Insitute of Arcane Ciphers. Nothing is super concrete yet, so thanks for helping me flush out the idea!



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[Mal Malenkirk]

[sblock=Top of a hollow?]This is confusing. Shouldn't it be at the top of a hill? Or the bottom of a hollow?

I am assuming it is at the top of someting and I have to climb up the cliff if I want to approach undetected.[/sblock]

-''Wait here, stay out of sight.'' Kendrick says to his colleagues. ''Let me take a look first, I'll signal you what I find. The signal will be 'Get your ass over here' if it is all clear. If I detect enemies, I'll signal you by using my sword to reflect the sunlight toward you. And if you hear 'ARHHG! HELP! HELP! OH GOD IT HURTS!'', it will signal that there are enemies, that I have been spotted and that you need to save me. Now wish me luck.''

He carefully and silently approaches the cliff, moving from cover to cover. He then climbs up with casual ease and hoist himself up near the cabin. He crosses the last feet like a ghost, ending against the wall, beneath a window, all senses on alert to detect intruders. Wait... technically he was the intruder. Right, so he was on alert for enemies. Or cats. He hated cats.

[sblock=Actions]
1:Stealth 2erception (1d20+6=21, 1d20+7=22)

Athletic (1d20+11=18)
Uneven Surface (Cave Wall) is listed at 15 so I hope this is enough for a cliff

But I am pretty sure I can take 10 for this task (That's outside an encounter and before the Perception/Stealth come into play) so The result would be 21.
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[ScorpiusRisk]

[sblock=Veruzak]Bell changed her mind and decided to go to the herbalist, since Kent came back and mentioned the markings on Lt. Rayn's head. Also because allot of people seemed to want to go to the cabin and Bell felt like someone should look at the bodies now.

I'm not sure if you decided not to follow Bell, or didn't notice.[/sblock]

[sblock=Stringbean]The first thing Bell wants to do is examine Lt. Rayn, since Kent indicated he left him at the herbalists. I noticed that wasn't in your descriptive post. If Lt. Rayn is not there then Bell has less reason to go there.

Though is he is there she will also look at the other bodies, she'll also want to speak with the herbalist.

I can rewrite this whole post if he is not there.[/sblock]

Bell males her way down to the herbalists basement. She curiously looks over the room, the bodies and the two men there. She smiles casually, then remembering herself, flashes the badge.

"Bell the Point. Linguist." She soon found the room where Lt. Rayn and the other two men were being held unconcious and located where Mr. Kent had found the "burn marks". She studied them closely, proding her knowledge of what may have caused it.

[sblock=actions]Perception if Necessary (1d20+4=6)

Arcana (1d20+9=28)
Dungeoneering (1d20=4)
Nature (1d20=1)[/sblock]

 

[CaBaNa]

Veruzak follows behind Bell, hood up, maintaining silence. He leans in eventually and whispers to the young Shadar-kai, Do you think they are bound properly? Where do you think we should start? The question sounds much like an instructor asking a question he already knows the answer to.

[sblock=OOC]

Woo! Deleted that whole post, Veruzak is following Bell...

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[skotothalamos]

Catein waits behind cover while Kendrick scouts out the cabin.

[sblock=Insight]
Insight check to get an idea of the usage pattern in and around the cabin?
1d20+9=11 heh. nevermind...
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