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"Murder, Lies and Civic Duty."
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<blockquote data-quote="Kidjake" data-source="post: 6747028" data-attributes="member: 6776876"><p>It's been two days since the death of the ettercap and recovery of Longarm's body and the entire town is alive with gossip over their new sheriff. Gandil reminds them that gossip is ugly business and should be avoided, but that just means they're just more careful about doing it in front of him.</p><p></p><p>Both Gandil and Kavos have been given townhouses in exchange for their service. Gandil's house is, fittingly enough, Longarm's old home and while it's comfortable enough; Longarm didn't have much in the way of possessions so it's rather spartan. Longarm's enchanted Falchion hangs over the fireplace rather than across Gandil's back, openly he says it's to honor the fallen sheriff; but it seems more like a trophy.</p><p></p><p>Kavos's home once belonged to the town's largest merchant, but the man disappeared nearly a year ago on an emergency supply run and hasn't been heard from since. Kavos asks around about the man and realizes he recognizes the description as being one of their victims. The merchant's home is more comfortably furnished.</p><p></p><p>Gandil has decided to keep Longarm's deputies on as part-time help and they're amiable enough to the idea of working under a new boss, especially since none of them want the job; having seen what happened to Longarm. Complaints have been flooding in ever since Gandil was officially sworn in, almost two dozen in the last day alone, everybody wanting to make sure that Longarm's investigations didn't die with him. Disappearances along the riverbanks, massive thefts near the forest (everything from tools and food to barn doors) and of course everyone wants something done about the bandits scaring trade off.</p><p></p><p>Kavos has spent the last two days ingratiating himself to the farmers; using Purify Food to help extend the life span of their past harvest and Create Water to make sure their current crops grow strong. He keeps up a mask of humility and quickly finds himself a popular man about town.</p><p></p><p>Gandil keeps doing the math and wondering why he's not seen any sign of the Duke's men yet, Kavos insists that this is a good sign since it gives them time to secure their power here. In fact he suggests they visit their upriver sister village of Eastbank to help diffuse whatever feud the two villages have going. Gandil agrees, figuring that a good chunk of Westbank's troubles would disappear if they could open up a little river traffic.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Before they go, they stop in at the temple of Pelor to let Father Adrian know where they're going. They find the aging priest downstairs with his head in his hands, the naked form of Sheriff Longarm lies peacefully in front of him; a familiar piece of paper upon its chest. Gandil approaches Father Adrian and asks what's wrong.</p><p></p><p>"It would appear," Father Adrian says with a deep sigh, "That Curtis received some...unsettling news before his death."</p><p></p><p>Gandil feigns surprise. "Oh no Father Adrian, what was the news?"</p><p></p><p>"The duke's men are intenting to turn our village into one of their outposts...and Longarm was being paid to set it up." Father Adrian says, a look of absolute despair on his face. His eyes harden and he shakes his head. "No, no they won't. I'll see to that."</p><p></p><p>Gandil asks to see the letter and Adrian hands it to him. Gandil fakes reading it and asks Adrian what he has in mind. Father Adrian replies that he's never preached open treason, nor will he, but he will be dead and buried before Westbank bends its knee to that man.</p><p></p><p>Gandil quickly suggests holding a town meeting to tell Westbank about their former sheriff's betrayal. He asks Father Adrian if there are any other towns in the area that can be allied with. Father Adrian mentions Briar's Pass in the forest, though they're worse off than themselves, and Eastbank upriver, though they've had bad blood for years.</p><p></p><p>"Over what?" Kavos asks.</p><p></p><p>Father Adrian shakes his head. "Who knows? People get into fights, which lead to feuds, which lead to petty spite. They closed off the river traffic with ridiculous tariffs and have been lording it over us ever since."</p><p></p><p>Gandil proclaims that they will unite the towns and drive off the Duke no matter what the cost. He suggests holding the elections at the town meeting tonight.</p><p></p><p>Kavos is less than eager, saying that he'd already promised to check the riverbank patrols tonight and wants to get to the bottom of whatever's happening along the water. Gandil draws him to the side and asks what's wrong with him, that the sheriff's betrayal and impending doom and such is JUST the boost Kavos needs to take the election. </p><p></p><p>Kavos reminds him that they have obligations that have to go before politicking for votes, finding out what's eating their constituents is a good place to start. Gandil barely manages to keep his voice down to a reasonable level as he points out that he's consistently put his neck out to put Kavos in a position to run this town and that if they lose the election that they themselves suggested that they're not getting another chance.</p><p></p><p>Kavos grudgingly agrees to go to the town hall.</p><p></p><p>It's just before sunset when the last of the important residents of Westbank file into the modest town hall for the meeting. The PCs allow Father Adrian to break the news of Longarm's treachery. Nobody knows what to think.</p><p></p><p>Gandil leaps up onto a chair and delivers a short, rousing speech about how him and his partner are here to change things and protect this town from all comers. That Pelor himself guided them to their new home and that they won't allow any harm to come to it. He ends by striking his most patriotic pose and shouting "Remember, a vote for Kavos is a vote for freedom and the Westbank way!"</p><p></p><p>Father Adrian agrees and voices his support for Kavos, most of the farmers seem to agree as well. Several however are very vocal in their disagreement, they say that if the military showed up then their problems would sort themselves out.</p><p></p><p>Gandil singles out the ringleader "And what makes you think they want <em>you[/]?" he shouts. "Elves will work for less than half of what you do and be happy for the experience. Do you want to compete with elves for <em>your</em> jobs in <em>your</em> town?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>This rant is completely out of the blue, both for me and the farmer so we're collectively shut up. I do however make a note that should they ever go to elven lands I'm having the elves speak spanish.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil continues with this line of paranoid thinking and several more of the townspeople think that maybe military involvement isn't such a bad thing. Gandil makes a big speech about how the town is meant to be so much more than a simple outpost, that the people here are supposed to live their lives with complete freedom away from the Duke's influence. He then calls everyone calling for military involvement a bunch of wusses who don't deserve their land.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>A few more people think that maybe the Duke wouldn't be so bad. A fat, older man stands up and introduces himself as Yard; he's one of the more vocal farmers in favor of military involvement and says that he's tossing his hat in the ring for mayor; he tells the people that he hopes reason will prevail here.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos walks over to Gandil and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Gandil," the elderly cleric says softly. "Shut up."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil turns a little red in the face but sits down and tries not to look so angry.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos says that he's worked for the Duke before and that he's seen what the Duke's men do when they move into a town. He stresses that they don't allow you to live your lives as you see fit, you become their property; doing what they want, when they want and any dissension is punished severely. He stresses that once the Duke's men are here, they're here for good.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Father Adrian sides with Kavos and a shouting match breaks out between the two factions, Elder Hadran moves to calm everyone down; suggesting that the meeting convene until the following night. The crowd gets even more raucous and Kavos finally shuts everyone up by casting Silence onto the whole crowd, just barely missing himself.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Everything goes deathly silent and Kavos says in a loud, firm voice "We don't need this bickering! We need a solution." Everyone glances at each other, no longer trying to shout and Kavos dismisses the spell, urging everyone to use their heads and not give into panic.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Elder Hadran calls for the vote and it's a 70/30 split in favor of Kavos and freedom. The losing party storms out, shouting curses and insults at the opposition. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos calls for order and says that his first act as Mayor will be to re-open trade with the outside world no matter what the cost. Gandil takes a horse and sets out for Briar's Pass since it's the closest settlement. Meanwhile, Kavos invites the remaining farmers to lodge complaints to him directly; the dominant worries are about the thefts on the northern farms which stress their already thin resources and the disappearances along the river; Kavos assures them that he will personally see to the capture and destruction of whatever's responsible for the disappearances.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil arrives in Briar's Pass around midnight. It's a small, mostly abandoned settlement nestled deep within the forest. A thin coating of web still covers many of the buildings and at this hour th eonly man walking about is the ranger, Jonathan Lark, who found Longarm's body several days ago.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil hails the ranger and the man approaches with a friendly nod, a simple wooden pipe hanging from his lips. "Don't get many visitors out this way." he says bluntly. "You boys need something else?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Westbank is in trouble." Gandil says matter of factly.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Lark takes a drag off his pipe "Well that sounds like Westbank's problem sheriff, I'm sure you folks can handle it."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil shakes his head. "We need Briar's Pass to stand with us. The Duke is coming to take over this entire area!" he says excitedly, showing the forged letter he took from Father Adrian.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The ranger glances at it and motions for Gandil to follow him over to what appears to be the local inn. He takes a seat on the front porch and puffs his pipe while he reads over the letter. "Well that's an entirely other kettle of fish." he says, chewing on his pipe absently.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Help me get the support of this town so we can keep them free from the Duke's treachery!" Gandil insists. Quickly adding "But let's not involve the rebels, I hear they've been killing people too...so we probably shouldn't trust them."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Lark nods and says "Sure, I'll bring it up. But this ain't much of a town anymore, only a little over two dozen of us left that the spiders or starvation didn't get.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil raises his eyebrow and suggests that the people of Briar's Pass join them in Westbank. Lark nods again, saying that that's not a bad idea; though he does wonder if Westbank can fit all of his people. Gandil assures him that they'll find a way and invites the ranger to ride with him to Eastbank to spread the news.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Lark accepts and the pair ride through the night and across a bridge to the thriving waterfront community of Eastbank. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>It's morning by the time they arrive and Gandil is a little shocked by the difference between Westbank and here. Here the buildings appear brand new and everything is bustling, the troubles on the road don't seem to affect this place at all since most of its business comes by river anyway.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil asks Lark who he should talk to about settling their disputes and the ranger explains that Eastbank has always been ran by the merchants and as such Bryce Haverston, local leader of the mercantile guilde, is the man, or rather dwarf, to speak to. Gandil agrees, but decides to test the waters first to see how the town feels about the Duke.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>He spends an hour or two chatting people up and finds that the general consensus is that the Duke's policies are pretty good for business, unlike the people of Westbank or Briar's Pass these people are actively rooting for the Duke.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>A little disheartened, Gandil and the ranger seek out the merchant leader. Bryce is a busy dwarf and the guard at his office says as much, although with a sly grin the guard does suggest that for 20 gold he might be persuaded to go on his break.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil grabs the man by his collar and drags his face down to the bronze star on his chest "I am Gandil, Sheriff of Westbank and I DO NOT pay for a man's ear!" he says with all the authority he can muster. The guard suddenly realizes that his scams may be exposed and steps aside with a slight grin. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"O-o-of course. I'm sure he's expecting you." the guard says meekly.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Inside they find a middle aged dwarf sitting at an ornate desk piled high with paperwork. Mr Haverston has an intricately braided grey beard which reaches his navel and thick glasses which would almost look comical if not for the perpetual scowl etched into his face. Dwarves have a well earned reputation as shrewd businessmen and underhanded negotiators.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Your guard attempted to extort me for a moment of your time. Is this how you treat outsiders, dwarf?" Gandil asks brazenly, puffing out his chest.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Really?" the dwarf asks simply, glancing over his glasses at his visitors. He sighs and casually opens his drawer, drawing out a small bell which makes a sing-song chime when struck. A well dressed young man rushes into the room and stands at attention, a delicate looking sword hanging at his waist.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Have the outside guard beaten and sodomized, then take him upstream and throw him in the drink." Bryce says, returning to his paperwork. "If he returns, cut off his feet and do it again."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil stands in shocked silence as the young man hurries off and the sounds of screaming can be heard beyond the door.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Isn't that a little extreme for a little extortion?" Gandil finally chokes out</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Extortion?" Bryce asks. "Oh, no stranger, you've misjudged me. He wasn't punished because of his little scheme, however inappropriate. He was punished because I paid him for a simple job and he chose to ignore his responsibilities. That's the same as stealing directly from my coffers."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Now," Bryce continues, looking up at the humans in his office. "What do you want? Since you're here and you've alerted me to my security's failings, I'll listen to what you have to say." the dwarf says, removing his thick glasses and rubbing his temples.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"I am the newly appointed sheriff of Westbank and I have come to alert you to some of my findings which have come up during the investigation into the death of my predecessor." Gandil starts.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Whatever you've found, you're out of your jurisdiction. If one of my men had something to do with it, we'll deal with it internally." the dwarf says with a bored sigh.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Nothing like that." Gandil assures him. "I have reason to believe that the Duke is coming to occupy the towns in this area. Yours being the most valuable, I'd imagine." To drive the point home, Gandil tosses the incriminating letter over to Bryce.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Bryce barely glances at it before shaking his head and tossing it aside. "A simple forgery."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil's stomach tightens. "What?! You mean someone framed Westbank's former sheriff? Lark, have a looksee."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Someone in Westbank is playing a prank, I'd imagine." the dwarf says annoyedly. "But then Westbank has always had a discipline problem." Bryce adds with a satisfied smirk.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The ranger retrieves the letter and glances over it again, but having never seen the Duke's writing before he has no way of confirming or denying Bryce's claim. Regardless, he doesn't seem so convinced that it's a forgery.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"How dare you tell me that this is a forgery?" Gandil growls. "Don't you know that NO eyes are sharper than mine! To insult this letter is to insult my very being dwarf! Your town is going to be taken from you and your business divided up among other, more agreeable merchants. Most likely elves."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The dwarf's mouth sets angrily, but it does cross his mind that he may have judged the letter too hastily. Especially considering the enormity of its contents. "Give me the letter and I'll have my man look at it." Bryce concedes, extending his hand. "He's more intimately familiar with forgeries of this kind."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil thinks quickly and shreds the letter in front of him. "If you can't trust what you see with your own eyes then no amount of convincing will help. If you aren't willing to save this town, then you're going to lose it." Gandil shouts, turning to leave and glancing back dramatically to mutter "You aren't the leader I heard you were."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The dwarf rings his bell again and the same well dressed young man rushes in once more, apparently have reentered from a back entrance. Bryce looks at him and says "Put the guards on alert, if you see anyone suspicious poking around then skip the sodomy and move straight to the feet."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The young man bows. "At once sir!" and rushes off.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"I appreciate the warning." Bryce says to Gandil and the ranger, slipping his glasses back on. "Though if I find that you're lying to me then I will test the veracity of your claim concerning your eyes. Surgically."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>As Gandil and the ranger exit the building they're caught by Bryce's right hand man who hands them a bag containing 100 gold coins in payment for exposing a potential security breach. Gandil in turn gives the coins to Lark and tells him to get what he can for the citizens of Briar's Pass; the ranger is impressed with Gandil's generosity and they part ways.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Meanwhile, as Gandil is using his charm to trick the locals into hating the Duke, Kavos has been working on keeping Westbank in one piece. Kavos discovers that during the last year an untold amount of livestock has disappeared along the river bank as well as several farmhands, all within a stone's throw of the river or lake.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos heads to the last farm hit, owned by a man named Jessup who's eldest son disappeared just last month while trying to calm down the cows. Jessup appears old and broken, almost like a phsyical weight is on him. He looks like an old man despite the fact that he's not yet 40.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos asks what time his son disappeared and finds that it was some time after midnight. Jessup's eyes well up with tears as he explains that the cows were riled up by something and his boy went out with a few hands to calm them down, but never came back. Kavos places a hand on his shoulder to comfort him and says that as the new mayor Jessup's son is his top priority.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Jessup breaks down in tears and Kavos asks if there's anything he can do for him. Jessup just says that if he gets his boy back he'll have everything he needs. Kavos excuses himself, to leave the man alone with his grief; however drops a purse with 25 gold coins by the door to help out the grieving family in the meantime.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Leaving the house Kavos notices that the property slopes gently down into the river, making a perfect entry/exit point. Kavos kneels down in the mud and searches, though for what he doesn't know. After almost an hour, and a ruined robe later, he thinks he's found it though; a large fish-like scale too high up the bank to have simply washed up. It's old and seems to be decomposing, but at least he knows that they aren't imagining things now.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos sighs as he looks out over the water and summons a dolphin to take a glance down below. It doesn't take but a second before the dolphin appears extremely agitated by something upriver and Kavos orders it to bring it down. The dolphin takes off like a loosed arrow through the water as Kavos scrambles back up the bank to pursue much slower on foot.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The dolphin engages something in combat, but Kavos doesn't know what; only that there's violent splashing up ahead. Almost as soon Kavos arrives, he realizes that the dolphin is no longer making noise and the water appears stained with blood. Kavos sees a glimpse of movement heading downstream towards the lake and sprints after it, though is utterly outpaced by them.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos finally makes it to the lake and surmises that it's where the creatures live, gritting his teeth, gripping his holy symbol tightly and wishing he had time to think of a better plan, Kavos leaps into the lake and flounders about; feigning weakness and inviting the creatures to come for him. Apparently the surprise dolphin attack freaked them out however, so there's no sign of them.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos swims back to shore and catches his breath, realizing he has absolutely no idea what they are; having only barely saw their wake. The lake is massive and he has no idea how they're going to battle whatever calls this its home.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>He heads back home in his soggy clothes, taking note of every farm along the way. He counts eight that are as close to the bank as Jessup's and while you can see each farm from its neighbor's, there's no way to survey them all at once.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos sighs. He knew they should have been focused on this. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p> <em>Back in Westbank Kavos and Gandil meet up swap what they've learned about the surrounding area, Kavos describes his encounter by the river and Gandil mentions his visits with Briar's Pass and Eastbank. They send for the ranger once more and once he arrives Gandil makes a formal introduction.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos shows Lark the rusty scale and asks if he knows what would leave such a thing.. The ranger mulls it over but admits that he's never seen it before, the water isn't his specialty. He mentions stories of catfish larger than boats and fish that can walk on land for as long as he can remember, but he's never seen either firsthand. He's quite intrigued.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos offers to show the ranger where he picked up the scale, but Lark asks him to just tell him so that he can do his thing without someone standing over him. Kavos agrees and gives him directions to Jessup's property before rounding up Gandil's deputies and organizing an all night watch at the end of the river to find out exactly what they're dealing with.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>When Kavos turns to give Gandil his marching orders he discovers that the impulsive warrior has already left town once again, leaving no mention of where he's going. Kavos sighs and decides to set up camp along the river to help the deputies himself.</em></p><p> <em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p> <em>Gandil finds himself in the unicorn's grove, though it seems to be abandoned. He shouts for the unicorn several times but doesn't receive any answer. Thinking on his feet, he gathers up some leaves and brush and quickly sets them on fire. He manages to keep the blaze under control and within fifteen minutes the unicorn emerges from the brush accompanied by a pair of wolves and an old black bear.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Why do you seek us manflesh?" the unicorn asks wearily. "We have no need of you at this moment."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"No, but I have need of you unicorn!" Gandil shouts excitedly. "I have come to ask if you know of a fish monster in the lake of Westbank? It is terrorizing our people, and as their hero, I won't stand for it!"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"You speak of the locathah and their pets?" the unicorn asks. "Weak and stupid, ruled by their bellies, much as the ettercap. They have lived there far longer than your breed. They are no threat."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"No threat? Unicorn, they are eating our people." Gandil says irritably.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Oh, well yes." the unicorn says "We mean they are no threat to <em>us</em>."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Unicorn, I'd like your advice on how to remove these creatures before they devour the town." Gandil says. "Perhaps to unicorns and bears these things are no threat, but to manflesh like myself they are quite troublesome."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The unicorn seems confused. "The same way to remove any threat, manflesh." the unicorn states plainly. "You find their home and..." the unicorn paws at the ground violently, tearing up the forest floor. "Stomp them out."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The unicorn puffs loudly. "Break the males, kill the females and crush the eggs to make sure there are no more." it offers, as close to helpful as it's ever gotten. "However..." the unicorn says as an afterthought, "The locathah are weak and subservient. Crush only the strong and the rest will bend knee to save the lives of their brood."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil nods, that makes sense. "But how do we get down there unicorn? We don't breathe water."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The unicorn shakes its head, "The water is beyond our domain. Surely there is magic that can aid you in such a simple task."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil ponders but can't think of any. "Do you know of any such magic in this area, unicorn?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"The town within out forest has a mage, the stench of his magic reaches us no matter how far we roam into these woods." the unicorn says with contempt.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"I'll remove this mage!" Gandil enthusiastically volunteers. "Would that please you unicorn?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The unicorn's eyes glint evilly. "Yes...remove the stench and our transaction is fair."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil nods, "In exchange for this service I want your cooperation, I want full command of your animals from this moment on!"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The unicorn glares at the 'little' human for a moment. "Remove the mage, and we will answer your summons the next time you call rather than leaving you to the whims of the forest."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Good enough!" Gandil responds with a wave of his hand, whistling as he saunters out of the forest.</em></p><p> <em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Rather than head back home to Westbank, Gandil decides to make the trek to Eastbank once more and speak with Bryce. He's riding along comfortably when out of nowhere a hail of arrows strike his horse, slaying it outright and depositing him on the ground with a painful thud.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>He glances around and sees eight bandits emerge from the bushes along the road, 4 of them have their bows cocked while the rest are sporting longswords. All of them are smiling viciously.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Put down y'er weapons and give us y'er valuables." the closest one growls, he's a large man covered in tattoos and scars. Gandil takes him for the leader.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Puffing up his chest and resting his hand on his bastard sword, Gandil calls out "You <em>dare</em> try to rob the Sheriff of Westbank? He who has slain the mighty ettercap? He who has tamed the wild unicorn? Lower your swords cowards, or you best be ready to kill me and anyone who comes to investigate my death." he growls menacingly.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Half of the bandits look nervous and like they might flee, one's sword shakes so bad he lowers and Gandil is feeling pretty confident until one of the archers says "Wait a tic. He's the new sheriff? He's seen our faces, we gotta kill him now!"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The bandits mutter their agreements and the tension seems to leave them.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil's mouth slowly gapes open and he gives a hearty "Shhhiiiiiii-" but is cut off by several arrows appearing in his chest as three of the four swordsmen charge him. He parries their blows and with a mighty roar strikes the leader so hard that the man falls into two bloody piles at his feet. Spinning his blade around he drives it directly through the heart of a second swordsman who dies with a wordless scream on his lips.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The archers open fire once again and Gandil suddenly realizes he's getting woozy from blood loss. The last swordsman with the fortitude (or appendages) to fight drops his sword and tackles Gandil, pinning the warrior's weapon to his body.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil struggles but the smaller man just barely manages to keep him occupied as the archers drop their bows, draw their daggers and charge into the fray. They alternate between holding him down and sticking him like a pig and we fade to black as the nerveless swordsman off to the side says "Hey...he's the sheriff. Maybe he's worth something!"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p> <em>It's been more than a day since Kavos has seen Gandil and he's starting to get irritated when a boy flags him down holding a letter. The kid explains that some guy from the forest gave him a copper piece to deliver this to the mayor. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos nods, tossing the kid an additional silver for his trouble and opening the letter. It takes him several tries to read all the way through because the writing is, quite frankly, atrocious but the gist seems to be that if he ever wants to see his sheriff again; he'll bring 500 gold to the edge of the woods at midnight.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos rolls his eyes at his partner allowing himself to be captured by such a low class thug, but nevertheless returns home to fetch the gold and freshen up. After all, the mayor can't look like he's been sleeping in the mud all night can he? He fetches the spider silk robe from Mrs. Boddan at the inn and is amazed at how light and resilient the garment is, not to mention fashionable. He then eats a simple meal and naps for a few hours until the moon rises high in the sky.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Figuring that this is his queue, he gathers up the pouch of gold and heads to the forest as instructed. He sees six of them standing there, forming an intimidating half circle with their newly elected leader (the loud mouthed archer from before) in the center.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The leader is no longer carrying his bow, but is carrying the former leader's longsword and a black leather bag strapped to his hip. He holds up a hand to Kavos and calls out "That's far enough. Let's see our gold."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos sneers. "Do you take me for a fool? How do I know he isn't dead already?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"You don't!" the leader snaps. "Now throw me the gold and we'll back away. Then you're welcome to your little boyfriend."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos smirks. "I've got a better idea." he says, uttering a prayer and summoning a Lemure into their midst.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Y-you'll never find him if you don't give us the gold!" the man shouts, obviously terrified.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"You'll tell me where he is." Kavos laughs as the Lemure snatches the man, "Or the fires of hell will consume you all."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>These guys had no desire to deal with a mage and turn to flee, with a flick of his wrist Kavos casts Hold Person on the furthest one and causes him to seize up mid-stride.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Just to make sure they know he's not playing around, he summons an infernal stallion to chase the remainder away.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>He snatches the black bag off the leader's hip while his Lemure tears the man to shreds and glances inside, his eyes widening at what he finds.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Gandil's severed head is inside, his own bronze star stuffed into his bloated, gaping mouth.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos shrugs, ties the bag to his hip and binds the held bandit before he regains mobility. He looks around and finds that he's alone once more, the other bandits either mauled by diabolic summons or fleeing into the night. The held bandit finally comes to with a loud start.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"I never wanted to kill your friend!" the bandit shouts, the second he recognizes his position. "I wanted to run when he said who he was, and I tried to get them to just ransom him back but-"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Shh..." Kavos says, comforting the bound bandit with a pat on the head. "He can be replaced, though my master is less forgiving of losing pawns than I am. Tell me, where can I find the rest of those responsible for his death?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The bandit has tears running down his eyes as he says "I don't know, we just set up along the road every week or so, we don't really talk 'bout ourselves though, the boss don't like it. We just do what he says."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "How much does this boss pay you?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"N-n-nuthing." the bandit says, obviously unhappy with the deal. "He just tells us when to expect someone and says that him lettin' us keep our heads is all the payment we need."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"That doesn't sound fair, now does it?" Kavos asks. "What if I told you that I could pay you 500 gold a week for a little information? Does <em>that</em> sound fair to you?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The bandit raises his head and turns around, a look of shock on his face. "Yeah, yeah!" he says excitedly. "That sounds too good to be true!"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Yeah," Kavos says, burying up to the hilt of a knife into the man's now exposed throat and allowing his blood to spill freely. "It is."</em></p><p> <em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos watches the man bleeding to death for almost a minute before he places a hand on the man's back and casts Cure Light Wounds. It stabilizes the man and Kavos checks his condition, figuring that the guy isn't going to be too hard to handle with most of his blood left behind.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos binds the unconscious, half-dead bandit to the back of his horse and rides back into town in the dead of the night. He locks the bandit in one of the town's cells and then heads to the temple of Pelor to inform Adrian of what's happened.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Father Adrian wakes easily and Kavos explains what's transpired, though he spins the truth a bit. He tells the priest that he'd sent Gandil to Eastbank and used a Status spell to track him, when it triggered that he was in harm he rode off to find him and found several bodies. He gives Father Adrian Gandil's head for safekeeping and tells him that NOBODY is allowed to speak with the remaining bandit until he's had a chance to interrogate him.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Father Adrian says that it pains him to have lost a second sheriff so soon but says that he'll prepare the funeral rites for Gandil as fast as he can. Kavos nods and takes Gandil's star out of his mouth before leaving the temple.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>It's almost 4am when Looman is roused from his sleep by the river, he looks up to find Mayor Kavos standing over him. The badge of office falls into his lap and Kavos says "Congratulations Looman, you're the new sheriff."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Looman snorts, still half asleep and asks what happened, if Gandil pissed Kavos off.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos answers that "Gandil got himself into trouble. Deep trouble."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Looman looks a little more alert and mutters "Seems to be going around..."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos instructs him that he's not to leave the village without support and Looman says that you couldn't pay him to nowadays.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Before Kavos can make his way back home, he's stopped by Jonathan Lark who's gathered up quite a few of the scales in a jar, Lark tells him that he's been hunting his entire life but has never seen whatever these things are before in his life.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos rubs his temples and explains that Gandil died tonight and he'd like to go home and get some sleep. If the ranger is disturbed by this news it doesn't show as he offers to place traps in the river to bring whatever's down there to the surface.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The elderly cleric agrees that traps would be a good idea and tells Lark that the deputies are his to command until this thing is brought in. He then warns the ranger not to take the roads if he travels alone, but Lark assures him that he's got nothing to fear from bandits.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Lark then asks if Gandil ever got around to mentioning his deal to bring in the inhabitants of Briar's Pass and Kavos says that it's on his to-do list. Kavos assures him that he'll do what he can about securing accommodations for anyone who wants to come, but that the murderous fish monsters and bandits are his top priority. He then excuses himself and goes home for as much sleep as he can grab before morning.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Kavos hits the ground running when he wakes up and figures up that he could place about 9 people in the space the town has left. With a little more figuring he discovers he could put up about 20 houses with the gold he himself has left. It's pricey, but he can't think of a better way to ingratiate himself with the locals.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>After giving word that the bandit isn't to have any visitors and gathering up his gold for the trip, Kavos sends after Looman to escort him to Eastbank.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>They find the town as bustling as ever, though Kavos notices a rather heavy guard presence and wonders if this is Gandil's doing. He searches the town for carpenters and finds a friendly man with a clean shaven head and deep laugh lines named Geralline that comes well recommended. Kavos lays down well over a thousand pieces of gold and describes to the man what he wants; houses and a new market place.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Geralline is ecstatic over this oppotrunity, though he does seem disappointed that he has to travel to <em>Westbank</em> to earn it. They finalize the deal however and Geralline says that he'll gather his men and head to Westbank in the morning.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos leaves him to it and searches out Bryce to meet this man himself. He discovers Mr Haverston's office guarded by a large man in superbly polished plate armor who inquires on Kavos and Looman's business here.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos says that he's looking to formally re-open trade between Eastbank and Westbank and the guard nearly laughs, saying that merchants avoid Westbank like the plague; stating that "You people have nothing to trade and nothing to see."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos furrows his brow and decides to low, claiming that Westbank is once again producing spidersilk and that if anyone wants it they'll have to go through him from here on out. The guard's attention perks at this and he tells Kavos to wait a moment as he heads into Bryce's office, returning shortly saying that Mr Haverston is interested in a shipment of silk if Westbank can guarantee safe delivery.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos says that he will only negotiate with Bryce directly because there are more matters to discuss than just spider silk, however the guard says that Bryce was adamant that he not be disturbed.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos glowers and identifies himself as the Mayor of Westbank and tells the guard that however angry Bryce would be for a disturbance, he would obviously be angrier at the guard for destroying such a lucrative business opportunity.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The guard wavers and steps to the side, Kavos being so damned persuasive.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos and Looman Stroll into the office and Bryce Haverston glances up from his stack of papers. "And you are...?" he asks, returning his attention to the documents which need his immediate approval.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Kavos Dasgrograv, Mayor of Westbank and faitfhul servant of Pelor." Kavos says with a slight bow. "And this is Sheriff Looman."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Bryce stares at the two of them for a moment and then rings his faithful bell. Once his man arrives, Bryce sighs and says "Deal with him like you did the last one and the next time I'm disturbed boy, it's going to be YOU that winds up floating down river." the aging dwarf growls as his assistant visibly pales.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"I've already been subjected to one of your sheriffs this week." Bryce says, returning his attention to Kavos and Looman. "What is it you want?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"That would be Gandil." Kavos says with a sad shake of his head, "Ran into some bandits on the road, poor lad. But I'm here to discuss us, not him. I'm proposing a business venture: our town is harvesting spider silk and we would love to trade it with your fine city."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Is that it?" Bryce asks with a grunt. "You could have saved a lot of trouble by just-"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Not quite, we'd also like to contract one of your merchants in the meantime." Kavos interrupts.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Bryce smirks and nods saying that he's got the perfect man in mind.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos seems pleased and asks what the man sells.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Bryce smiles and answers "Whatever he can scrape together before he's banished to Westbank. Now, I trust you will see yourself out." the dwarf says, returning to his work.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>They leave the building and notice that a different guard is on duty now, shorter and stockier than the last man. Kavos tells Looman to hang back a day and escort the carpenters when they're ready; he assures Looman that he'll be alright by himself. He claims he has to commune with nature for religious purposes.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Once he's separated from Looman, Kavos rides to the forest grove of the unicorn; finding the beast waiting among the grove with a sizeable entourage of wolves and a handful of bears. It appears to be expecting someone.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Not the manflesh we were expecting..." says the unicorn, narrowing its eyes.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos realizes that the unicorn must have spoken to Gandil that fateful night and says that "Gandil's dead unicorn, he won't be coming any longer. I have other things to discuss however, things you will not like."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"Such as?" the unicorn asks.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"I have people moving into my town and I have need of wood, your forest is the most convenient source. There are also creatures in the lake which attack us in the night, if you have sovereignty over them I suggest you order them to stop or they will be dead very soon." Kavos says, more confidently than he feels.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"The locathah of the lake are yours to do with as you please." the unicorn says dismissively, "The wood however, has a price..."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos raises his eyebrow questioningly.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"The other manflesh offered to rid our forest of the magic stench. Go to the forest town and remove the mage and its experiments, however you can." the unicorn demands. "Do this and you may harvest the outskirts of the forest...within reason."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Turning to one of the wolves the unicorn barks "Elfflesh! See that the manflesh does not overstep its boundaries."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The wolf nods and disturbingly stands upright, shifting into the form of a young male elf as it does so.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"This one is called Ibaeli. It came to us to learn the ways of the forest." the unicorn explains. "Now it will watch you, to ensure you do not take more than is owed."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Ibaeli steps forward and stares Kavos in the eye. "I've heard of your evil acts." the young elf growls.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"And...?" Kavos asks.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The young elf seems taken aback. "What?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"They will continue, Ibaeli. Until such a time as I no longer feel the need to perform them." Kavos says, leaning forward mencingly, despite the fact that the elf has several inches on him. "Do we have a problem?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"I...guess not." Ibaeli says, no longer so sure of himself.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Kavos turns to leave the forest and a massive ape leaps from the trees to land before him with a bestial grunt it tries to stare him down though the aging cleric simply sidesteps it. Kavos smirks at the creature and continues on. "Bring your pet Ibaeli, you'll need him."</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Kidjake, post: 6747028, member: 6776876"] It's been two days since the death of the ettercap and recovery of Longarm's body and the entire town is alive with gossip over their new sheriff. Gandil reminds them that gossip is ugly business and should be avoided, but that just means they're just more careful about doing it in front of him. Both Gandil and Kavos have been given townhouses in exchange for their service. Gandil's house is, fittingly enough, Longarm's old home and while it's comfortable enough; Longarm didn't have much in the way of possessions so it's rather spartan. Longarm's enchanted Falchion hangs over the fireplace rather than across Gandil's back, openly he says it's to honor the fallen sheriff; but it seems more like a trophy. Kavos's home once belonged to the town's largest merchant, but the man disappeared nearly a year ago on an emergency supply run and hasn't been heard from since. Kavos asks around about the man and realizes he recognizes the description as being one of their victims. The merchant's home is more comfortably furnished. Gandil has decided to keep Longarm's deputies on as part-time help and they're amiable enough to the idea of working under a new boss, especially since none of them want the job; having seen what happened to Longarm. Complaints have been flooding in ever since Gandil was officially sworn in, almost two dozen in the last day alone, everybody wanting to make sure that Longarm's investigations didn't die with him. Disappearances along the riverbanks, massive thefts near the forest (everything from tools and food to barn doors) and of course everyone wants something done about the bandits scaring trade off. Kavos has spent the last two days ingratiating himself to the farmers; using Purify Food to help extend the life span of their past harvest and Create Water to make sure their current crops grow strong. He keeps up a mask of humility and quickly finds himself a popular man about town. Gandil keeps doing the math and wondering why he's not seen any sign of the Duke's men yet, Kavos insists that this is a good sign since it gives them time to secure their power here. In fact he suggests they visit their upriver sister village of Eastbank to help diffuse whatever feud the two villages have going. Gandil agrees, figuring that a good chunk of Westbank's troubles would disappear if they could open up a little river traffic. Before they go, they stop in at the temple of Pelor to let Father Adrian know where they're going. They find the aging priest downstairs with his head in his hands, the naked form of Sheriff Longarm lies peacefully in front of him; a familiar piece of paper upon its chest. Gandil approaches Father Adrian and asks what's wrong. "It would appear," Father Adrian says with a deep sigh, "That Curtis received some...unsettling news before his death." Gandil feigns surprise. "Oh no Father Adrian, what was the news?" "The duke's men are intenting to turn our village into one of their outposts...and Longarm was being paid to set it up." Father Adrian says, a look of absolute despair on his face. His eyes harden and he shakes his head. "No, no they won't. I'll see to that." Gandil asks to see the letter and Adrian hands it to him. Gandil fakes reading it and asks Adrian what he has in mind. Father Adrian replies that he's never preached open treason, nor will he, but he will be dead and buried before Westbank bends its knee to that man. Gandil quickly suggests holding a town meeting to tell Westbank about their former sheriff's betrayal. He asks Father Adrian if there are any other towns in the area that can be allied with. Father Adrian mentions Briar's Pass in the forest, though they're worse off than themselves, and Eastbank upriver, though they've had bad blood for years. "Over what?" Kavos asks. Father Adrian shakes his head. "Who knows? People get into fights, which lead to feuds, which lead to petty spite. They closed off the river traffic with ridiculous tariffs and have been lording it over us ever since." Gandil proclaims that they will unite the towns and drive off the Duke no matter what the cost. He suggests holding the elections at the town meeting tonight. Kavos is less than eager, saying that he'd already promised to check the riverbank patrols tonight and wants to get to the bottom of whatever's happening along the water. Gandil draws him to the side and asks what's wrong with him, that the sheriff's betrayal and impending doom and such is JUST the boost Kavos needs to take the election. Kavos reminds him that they have obligations that have to go before politicking for votes, finding out what's eating their constituents is a good place to start. Gandil barely manages to keep his voice down to a reasonable level as he points out that he's consistently put his neck out to put Kavos in a position to run this town and that if they lose the election that they themselves suggested that they're not getting another chance. Kavos grudgingly agrees to go to the town hall. It's just before sunset when the last of the important residents of Westbank file into the modest town hall for the meeting. The PCs allow Father Adrian to break the news of Longarm's treachery. Nobody knows what to think. Gandil leaps up onto a chair and delivers a short, rousing speech about how him and his partner are here to change things and protect this town from all comers. That Pelor himself guided them to their new home and that they won't allow any harm to come to it. He ends by striking his most patriotic pose and shouting "Remember, a vote for Kavos is a vote for freedom and the Westbank way!" Father Adrian agrees and voices his support for Kavos, most of the farmers seem to agree as well. Several however are very vocal in their disagreement, they say that if the military showed up then their problems would sort themselves out. Gandil singles out the ringleader "And what makes you think they want [i]you[/]?" he shouts. "Elves will work for less than half of what you do and be happy for the experience. Do you want to compete with elves for [i]your[/i] jobs in [i]your[/i] town?" This rant is completely out of the blue, both for me and the farmer so we're collectively shut up. I do however make a note that should they ever go to elven lands I'm having the elves speak spanish. Gandil continues with this line of paranoid thinking and several more of the townspeople think that maybe military involvement isn't such a bad thing. Gandil makes a big speech about how the town is meant to be so much more than a simple outpost, that the people here are supposed to live their lives with complete freedom away from the Duke's influence. He then calls everyone calling for military involvement a bunch of wusses who don't deserve their land. A few more people think that maybe the Duke wouldn't be so bad. A fat, older man stands up and introduces himself as Yard; he's one of the more vocal farmers in favor of military involvement and says that he's tossing his hat in the ring for mayor; he tells the people that he hopes reason will prevail here. Kavos walks over to Gandil and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Gandil," the elderly cleric says softly. "Shut up." Gandil turns a little red in the face but sits down and tries not to look so angry. Kavos says that he's worked for the Duke before and that he's seen what the Duke's men do when they move into a town. He stresses that they don't allow you to live your lives as you see fit, you become their property; doing what they want, when they want and any dissension is punished severely. He stresses that once the Duke's men are here, they're here for good. Father Adrian sides with Kavos and a shouting match breaks out between the two factions, Elder Hadran moves to calm everyone down; suggesting that the meeting convene until the following night. The crowd gets even more raucous and Kavos finally shuts everyone up by casting Silence onto the whole crowd, just barely missing himself. Everything goes deathly silent and Kavos says in a loud, firm voice "We don't need this bickering! We need a solution." Everyone glances at each other, no longer trying to shout and Kavos dismisses the spell, urging everyone to use their heads and not give into panic. Elder Hadran calls for the vote and it's a 70/30 split in favor of Kavos and freedom. The losing party storms out, shouting curses and insults at the opposition. Kavos calls for order and says that his first act as Mayor will be to re-open trade with the outside world no matter what the cost. Gandil takes a horse and sets out for Briar's Pass since it's the closest settlement. Meanwhile, Kavos invites the remaining farmers to lodge complaints to him directly; the dominant worries are about the thefts on the northern farms which stress their already thin resources and the disappearances along the river; Kavos assures them that he will personally see to the capture and destruction of whatever's responsible for the disappearances. Gandil arrives in Briar's Pass around midnight. It's a small, mostly abandoned settlement nestled deep within the forest. A thin coating of web still covers many of the buildings and at this hour th eonly man walking about is the ranger, Jonathan Lark, who found Longarm's body several days ago. Gandil hails the ranger and the man approaches with a friendly nod, a simple wooden pipe hanging from his lips. "Don't get many visitors out this way." he says bluntly. "You boys need something else?" "Westbank is in trouble." Gandil says matter of factly. Lark takes a drag off his pipe "Well that sounds like Westbank's problem sheriff, I'm sure you folks can handle it." Gandil shakes his head. "We need Briar's Pass to stand with us. The Duke is coming to take over this entire area!" he says excitedly, showing the forged letter he took from Father Adrian. The ranger glances at it and motions for Gandil to follow him over to what appears to be the local inn. He takes a seat on the front porch and puffs his pipe while he reads over the letter. "Well that's an entirely other kettle of fish." he says, chewing on his pipe absently. "Help me get the support of this town so we can keep them free from the Duke's treachery!" Gandil insists. Quickly adding "But let's not involve the rebels, I hear they've been killing people too...so we probably shouldn't trust them." Lark nods and says "Sure, I'll bring it up. But this ain't much of a town anymore, only a little over two dozen of us left that the spiders or starvation didn't get. Gandil raises his eyebrow and suggests that the people of Briar's Pass join them in Westbank. Lark nods again, saying that that's not a bad idea; though he does wonder if Westbank can fit all of his people. Gandil assures him that they'll find a way and invites the ranger to ride with him to Eastbank to spread the news. Lark accepts and the pair ride through the night and across a bridge to the thriving waterfront community of Eastbank. It's morning by the time they arrive and Gandil is a little shocked by the difference between Westbank and here. Here the buildings appear brand new and everything is bustling, the troubles on the road don't seem to affect this place at all since most of its business comes by river anyway. Gandil asks Lark who he should talk to about settling their disputes and the ranger explains that Eastbank has always been ran by the merchants and as such Bryce Haverston, local leader of the mercantile guilde, is the man, or rather dwarf, to speak to. Gandil agrees, but decides to test the waters first to see how the town feels about the Duke. He spends an hour or two chatting people up and finds that the general consensus is that the Duke's policies are pretty good for business, unlike the people of Westbank or Briar's Pass these people are actively rooting for the Duke. A little disheartened, Gandil and the ranger seek out the merchant leader. Bryce is a busy dwarf and the guard at his office says as much, although with a sly grin the guard does suggest that for 20 gold he might be persuaded to go on his break. Gandil grabs the man by his collar and drags his face down to the bronze star on his chest "I am Gandil, Sheriff of Westbank and I DO NOT pay for a man's ear!" he says with all the authority he can muster. The guard suddenly realizes that his scams may be exposed and steps aside with a slight grin. "O-o-of course. I'm sure he's expecting you." the guard says meekly. Inside they find a middle aged dwarf sitting at an ornate desk piled high with paperwork. Mr Haverston has an intricately braided grey beard which reaches his navel and thick glasses which would almost look comical if not for the perpetual scowl etched into his face. Dwarves have a well earned reputation as shrewd businessmen and underhanded negotiators. "Your guard attempted to extort me for a moment of your time. Is this how you treat outsiders, dwarf?" Gandil asks brazenly, puffing out his chest. "Really?" the dwarf asks simply, glancing over his glasses at his visitors. He sighs and casually opens his drawer, drawing out a small bell which makes a sing-song chime when struck. A well dressed young man rushes into the room and stands at attention, a delicate looking sword hanging at his waist. "Have the outside guard beaten and sodomized, then take him upstream and throw him in the drink." Bryce says, returning to his paperwork. "If he returns, cut off his feet and do it again." Gandil stands in shocked silence as the young man hurries off and the sounds of screaming can be heard beyond the door. "Isn't that a little extreme for a little extortion?" Gandil finally chokes out "Extortion?" Bryce asks. "Oh, no stranger, you've misjudged me. He wasn't punished because of his little scheme, however inappropriate. He was punished because I paid him for a simple job and he chose to ignore his responsibilities. That's the same as stealing directly from my coffers." "Now," Bryce continues, looking up at the humans in his office. "What do you want? Since you're here and you've alerted me to my security's failings, I'll listen to what you have to say." the dwarf says, removing his thick glasses and rubbing his temples. "I am the newly appointed sheriff of Westbank and I have come to alert you to some of my findings which have come up during the investigation into the death of my predecessor." Gandil starts. "Whatever you've found, you're out of your jurisdiction. If one of my men had something to do with it, we'll deal with it internally." the dwarf says with a bored sigh. "Nothing like that." Gandil assures him. "I have reason to believe that the Duke is coming to occupy the towns in this area. Yours being the most valuable, I'd imagine." To drive the point home, Gandil tosses the incriminating letter over to Bryce. Bryce barely glances at it before shaking his head and tossing it aside. "A simple forgery." Gandil's stomach tightens. "What?! You mean someone framed Westbank's former sheriff? Lark, have a looksee." "Someone in Westbank is playing a prank, I'd imagine." the dwarf says annoyedly. "But then Westbank has always had a discipline problem." Bryce adds with a satisfied smirk. The ranger retrieves the letter and glances over it again, but having never seen the Duke's writing before he has no way of confirming or denying Bryce's claim. Regardless, he doesn't seem so convinced that it's a forgery. "How dare you tell me that this is a forgery?" Gandil growls. "Don't you know that NO eyes are sharper than mine! To insult this letter is to insult my very being dwarf! Your town is going to be taken from you and your business divided up among other, more agreeable merchants. Most likely elves." The dwarf's mouth sets angrily, but it does cross his mind that he may have judged the letter too hastily. Especially considering the enormity of its contents. "Give me the letter and I'll have my man look at it." Bryce concedes, extending his hand. "He's more intimately familiar with forgeries of this kind." Gandil thinks quickly and shreds the letter in front of him. "If you can't trust what you see with your own eyes then no amount of convincing will help. If you aren't willing to save this town, then you're going to lose it." Gandil shouts, turning to leave and glancing back dramatically to mutter "You aren't the leader I heard you were." The dwarf rings his bell again and the same well dressed young man rushes in once more, apparently have reentered from a back entrance. Bryce looks at him and says "Put the guards on alert, if you see anyone suspicious poking around then skip the sodomy and move straight to the feet." The young man bows. "At once sir!" and rushes off. "I appreciate the warning." Bryce says to Gandil and the ranger, slipping his glasses back on. "Though if I find that you're lying to me then I will test the veracity of your claim concerning your eyes. Surgically." As Gandil and the ranger exit the building they're caught by Bryce's right hand man who hands them a bag containing 100 gold coins in payment for exposing a potential security breach. Gandil in turn gives the coins to Lark and tells him to get what he can for the citizens of Briar's Pass; the ranger is impressed with Gandil's generosity and they part ways. Meanwhile, as Gandil is using his charm to trick the locals into hating the Duke, Kavos has been working on keeping Westbank in one piece. Kavos discovers that during the last year an untold amount of livestock has disappeared along the river bank as well as several farmhands, all within a stone's throw of the river or lake. Kavos heads to the last farm hit, owned by a man named Jessup who's eldest son disappeared just last month while trying to calm down the cows. Jessup appears old and broken, almost like a phsyical weight is on him. He looks like an old man despite the fact that he's not yet 40. Kavos asks what time his son disappeared and finds that it was some time after midnight. Jessup's eyes well up with tears as he explains that the cows were riled up by something and his boy went out with a few hands to calm them down, but never came back. Kavos places a hand on his shoulder to comfort him and says that as the new mayor Jessup's son is his top priority. Jessup breaks down in tears and Kavos asks if there's anything he can do for him. Jessup just says that if he gets his boy back he'll have everything he needs. Kavos excuses himself, to leave the man alone with his grief; however drops a purse with 25 gold coins by the door to help out the grieving family in the meantime. Leaving the house Kavos notices that the property slopes gently down into the river, making a perfect entry/exit point. Kavos kneels down in the mud and searches, though for what he doesn't know. After almost an hour, and a ruined robe later, he thinks he's found it though; a large fish-like scale too high up the bank to have simply washed up. It's old and seems to be decomposing, but at least he knows that they aren't imagining things now. Kavos sighs as he looks out over the water and summons a dolphin to take a glance down below. It doesn't take but a second before the dolphin appears extremely agitated by something upriver and Kavos orders it to bring it down. The dolphin takes off like a loosed arrow through the water as Kavos scrambles back up the bank to pursue much slower on foot. The dolphin engages something in combat, but Kavos doesn't know what; only that there's violent splashing up ahead. Almost as soon Kavos arrives, he realizes that the dolphin is no longer making noise and the water appears stained with blood. Kavos sees a glimpse of movement heading downstream towards the lake and sprints after it, though is utterly outpaced by them. Kavos finally makes it to the lake and surmises that it's where the creatures live, gritting his teeth, gripping his holy symbol tightly and wishing he had time to think of a better plan, Kavos leaps into the lake and flounders about; feigning weakness and inviting the creatures to come for him. Apparently the surprise dolphin attack freaked them out however, so there's no sign of them. Kavos swims back to shore and catches his breath, realizing he has absolutely no idea what they are; having only barely saw their wake. The lake is massive and he has no idea how they're going to battle whatever calls this its home. He heads back home in his soggy clothes, taking note of every farm along the way. He counts eight that are as close to the bank as Jessup's and while you can see each farm from its neighbor's, there's no way to survey them all at once. Kavos sighs. He knew they should have been focused on this. Back in Westbank Kavos and Gandil meet up swap what they've learned about the surrounding area, Kavos describes his encounter by the river and Gandil mentions his visits with Briar's Pass and Eastbank. They send for the ranger once more and once he arrives Gandil makes a formal introduction. Kavos shows Lark the rusty scale and asks if he knows what would leave such a thing.. The ranger mulls it over but admits that he's never seen it before, the water isn't his specialty. He mentions stories of catfish larger than boats and fish that can walk on land for as long as he can remember, but he's never seen either firsthand. He's quite intrigued. Kavos offers to show the ranger where he picked up the scale, but Lark asks him to just tell him so that he can do his thing without someone standing over him. Kavos agrees and gives him directions to Jessup's property before rounding up Gandil's deputies and organizing an all night watch at the end of the river to find out exactly what they're dealing with. When Kavos turns to give Gandil his marching orders he discovers that the impulsive warrior has already left town once again, leaving no mention of where he's going. Kavos sighs and decides to set up camp along the river to help the deputies himself. Gandil finds himself in the unicorn's grove, though it seems to be abandoned. He shouts for the unicorn several times but doesn't receive any answer. Thinking on his feet, he gathers up some leaves and brush and quickly sets them on fire. He manages to keep the blaze under control and within fifteen minutes the unicorn emerges from the brush accompanied by a pair of wolves and an old black bear. "Why do you seek us manflesh?" the unicorn asks wearily. "We have no need of you at this moment." "No, but I have need of you unicorn!" Gandil shouts excitedly. "I have come to ask if you know of a fish monster in the lake of Westbank? It is terrorizing our people, and as their hero, I won't stand for it!" "You speak of the locathah and their pets?" the unicorn asks. "Weak and stupid, ruled by their bellies, much as the ettercap. They have lived there far longer than your breed. They are no threat." "No threat? Unicorn, they are eating our people." Gandil says irritably. "Oh, well yes." the unicorn says "We mean they are no threat to [i]us[/i]." "Unicorn, I'd like your advice on how to remove these creatures before they devour the town." Gandil says. "Perhaps to unicorns and bears these things are no threat, but to manflesh like myself they are quite troublesome." The unicorn seems confused. "The same way to remove any threat, manflesh." the unicorn states plainly. "You find their home and..." the unicorn paws at the ground violently, tearing up the forest floor. "Stomp them out." The unicorn puffs loudly. "Break the males, kill the females and crush the eggs to make sure there are no more." it offers, as close to helpful as it's ever gotten. "However..." the unicorn says as an afterthought, "The locathah are weak and subservient. Crush only the strong and the rest will bend knee to save the lives of their brood." Gandil nods, that makes sense. "But how do we get down there unicorn? We don't breathe water." The unicorn shakes its head, "The water is beyond our domain. Surely there is magic that can aid you in such a simple task." Gandil ponders but can't think of any. "Do you know of any such magic in this area, unicorn?" "The town within out forest has a mage, the stench of his magic reaches us no matter how far we roam into these woods." the unicorn says with contempt. "I'll remove this mage!" Gandil enthusiastically volunteers. "Would that please you unicorn?" The unicorn's eyes glint evilly. "Yes...remove the stench and our transaction is fair." Gandil nods, "In exchange for this service I want your cooperation, I want full command of your animals from this moment on!" The unicorn glares at the 'little' human for a moment. "Remove the mage, and we will answer your summons the next time you call rather than leaving you to the whims of the forest." "Good enough!" Gandil responds with a wave of his hand, whistling as he saunters out of the forest. Rather than head back home to Westbank, Gandil decides to make the trek to Eastbank once more and speak with Bryce. He's riding along comfortably when out of nowhere a hail of arrows strike his horse, slaying it outright and depositing him on the ground with a painful thud. He glances around and sees eight bandits emerge from the bushes along the road, 4 of them have their bows cocked while the rest are sporting longswords. All of them are smiling viciously. "Put down y'er weapons and give us y'er valuables." the closest one growls, he's a large man covered in tattoos and scars. Gandil takes him for the leader. Puffing up his chest and resting his hand on his bastard sword, Gandil calls out "You [i]dare[/i] try to rob the Sheriff of Westbank? He who has slain the mighty ettercap? He who has tamed the wild unicorn? Lower your swords cowards, or you best be ready to kill me and anyone who comes to investigate my death." he growls menacingly. Half of the bandits look nervous and like they might flee, one's sword shakes so bad he lowers and Gandil is feeling pretty confident until one of the archers says "Wait a tic. He's the new sheriff? He's seen our faces, we gotta kill him now!" The bandits mutter their agreements and the tension seems to leave them. Gandil's mouth slowly gapes open and he gives a hearty "Shhhiiiiiii-" but is cut off by several arrows appearing in his chest as three of the four swordsmen charge him. He parries their blows and with a mighty roar strikes the leader so hard that the man falls into two bloody piles at his feet. Spinning his blade around he drives it directly through the heart of a second swordsman who dies with a wordless scream on his lips. The archers open fire once again and Gandil suddenly realizes he's getting woozy from blood loss. The last swordsman with the fortitude (or appendages) to fight drops his sword and tackles Gandil, pinning the warrior's weapon to his body. Gandil struggles but the smaller man just barely manages to keep him occupied as the archers drop their bows, draw their daggers and charge into the fray. They alternate between holding him down and sticking him like a pig and we fade to black as the nerveless swordsman off to the side says "Hey...he's the sheriff. Maybe he's worth something!" It's been more than a day since Kavos has seen Gandil and he's starting to get irritated when a boy flags him down holding a letter. The kid explains that some guy from the forest gave him a copper piece to deliver this to the mayor. Kavos nods, tossing the kid an additional silver for his trouble and opening the letter. It takes him several tries to read all the way through because the writing is, quite frankly, atrocious but the gist seems to be that if he ever wants to see his sheriff again; he'll bring 500 gold to the edge of the woods at midnight. Kavos rolls his eyes at his partner allowing himself to be captured by such a low class thug, but nevertheless returns home to fetch the gold and freshen up. After all, the mayor can't look like he's been sleeping in the mud all night can he? He fetches the spider silk robe from Mrs. Boddan at the inn and is amazed at how light and resilient the garment is, not to mention fashionable. He then eats a simple meal and naps for a few hours until the moon rises high in the sky. Figuring that this is his queue, he gathers up the pouch of gold and heads to the forest as instructed. He sees six of them standing there, forming an intimidating half circle with their newly elected leader (the loud mouthed archer from before) in the center. The leader is no longer carrying his bow, but is carrying the former leader's longsword and a black leather bag strapped to his hip. He holds up a hand to Kavos and calls out "That's far enough. Let's see our gold." Kavos sneers. "Do you take me for a fool? How do I know he isn't dead already?" "You don't!" the leader snaps. "Now throw me the gold and we'll back away. Then you're welcome to your little boyfriend." Kavos smirks. "I've got a better idea." he says, uttering a prayer and summoning a Lemure into their midst. "Y-you'll never find him if you don't give us the gold!" the man shouts, obviously terrified. "You'll tell me where he is." Kavos laughs as the Lemure snatches the man, "Or the fires of hell will consume you all." These guys had no desire to deal with a mage and turn to flee, with a flick of his wrist Kavos casts Hold Person on the furthest one and causes him to seize up mid-stride. Just to make sure they know he's not playing around, he summons an infernal stallion to chase the remainder away. He snatches the black bag off the leader's hip while his Lemure tears the man to shreds and glances inside, his eyes widening at what he finds. Gandil's severed head is inside, his own bronze star stuffed into his bloated, gaping mouth. Kavos shrugs, ties the bag to his hip and binds the held bandit before he regains mobility. He looks around and finds that he's alone once more, the other bandits either mauled by diabolic summons or fleeing into the night. The held bandit finally comes to with a loud start. "I never wanted to kill your friend!" the bandit shouts, the second he recognizes his position. "I wanted to run when he said who he was, and I tried to get them to just ransom him back but-" "Shh..." Kavos says, comforting the bound bandit with a pat on the head. "He can be replaced, though my master is less forgiving of losing pawns than I am. Tell me, where can I find the rest of those responsible for his death?" The bandit has tears running down his eyes as he says "I don't know, we just set up along the road every week or so, we don't really talk 'bout ourselves though, the boss don't like it. We just do what he says." Kavos raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "How much does this boss pay you?" "N-n-nuthing." the bandit says, obviously unhappy with the deal. "He just tells us when to expect someone and says that him lettin' us keep our heads is all the payment we need." "That doesn't sound fair, now does it?" Kavos asks. "What if I told you that I could pay you 500 gold a week for a little information? Does [i]that[/i] sound fair to you?" The bandit raises his head and turns around, a look of shock on his face. "Yeah, yeah!" he says excitedly. "That sounds too good to be true!" "Yeah," Kavos says, burying up to the hilt of a knife into the man's now exposed throat and allowing his blood to spill freely. "It is." Kavos watches the man bleeding to death for almost a minute before he places a hand on the man's back and casts Cure Light Wounds. It stabilizes the man and Kavos checks his condition, figuring that the guy isn't going to be too hard to handle with most of his blood left behind. Kavos binds the unconscious, half-dead bandit to the back of his horse and rides back into town in the dead of the night. He locks the bandit in one of the town's cells and then heads to the temple of Pelor to inform Adrian of what's happened. Father Adrian wakes easily and Kavos explains what's transpired, though he spins the truth a bit. He tells the priest that he'd sent Gandil to Eastbank and used a Status spell to track him, when it triggered that he was in harm he rode off to find him and found several bodies. He gives Father Adrian Gandil's head for safekeeping and tells him that NOBODY is allowed to speak with the remaining bandit until he's had a chance to interrogate him. Father Adrian says that it pains him to have lost a second sheriff so soon but says that he'll prepare the funeral rites for Gandil as fast as he can. Kavos nods and takes Gandil's star out of his mouth before leaving the temple. It's almost 4am when Looman is roused from his sleep by the river, he looks up to find Mayor Kavos standing over him. The badge of office falls into his lap and Kavos says "Congratulations Looman, you're the new sheriff." Looman snorts, still half asleep and asks what happened, if Gandil pissed Kavos off. Kavos answers that "Gandil got himself into trouble. Deep trouble." Looman looks a little more alert and mutters "Seems to be going around..." Kavos instructs him that he's not to leave the village without support and Looman says that you couldn't pay him to nowadays. Before Kavos can make his way back home, he's stopped by Jonathan Lark who's gathered up quite a few of the scales in a jar, Lark tells him that he's been hunting his entire life but has never seen whatever these things are before in his life. Kavos rubs his temples and explains that Gandil died tonight and he'd like to go home and get some sleep. If the ranger is disturbed by this news it doesn't show as he offers to place traps in the river to bring whatever's down there to the surface. The elderly cleric agrees that traps would be a good idea and tells Lark that the deputies are his to command until this thing is brought in. He then warns the ranger not to take the roads if he travels alone, but Lark assures him that he's got nothing to fear from bandits. Lark then asks if Gandil ever got around to mentioning his deal to bring in the inhabitants of Briar's Pass and Kavos says that it's on his to-do list. Kavos assures him that he'll do what he can about securing accommodations for anyone who wants to come, but that the murderous fish monsters and bandits are his top priority. He then excuses himself and goes home for as much sleep as he can grab before morning. Kavos hits the ground running when he wakes up and figures up that he could place about 9 people in the space the town has left. With a little more figuring he discovers he could put up about 20 houses with the gold he himself has left. It's pricey, but he can't think of a better way to ingratiate himself with the locals. After giving word that the bandit isn't to have any visitors and gathering up his gold for the trip, Kavos sends after Looman to escort him to Eastbank. They find the town as bustling as ever, though Kavos notices a rather heavy guard presence and wonders if this is Gandil's doing. He searches the town for carpenters and finds a friendly man with a clean shaven head and deep laugh lines named Geralline that comes well recommended. Kavos lays down well over a thousand pieces of gold and describes to the man what he wants; houses and a new market place. Geralline is ecstatic over this oppotrunity, though he does seem disappointed that he has to travel to [i]Westbank[/i] to earn it. They finalize the deal however and Geralline says that he'll gather his men and head to Westbank in the morning. Kavos leaves him to it and searches out Bryce to meet this man himself. He discovers Mr Haverston's office guarded by a large man in superbly polished plate armor who inquires on Kavos and Looman's business here. Kavos says that he's looking to formally re-open trade between Eastbank and Westbank and the guard nearly laughs, saying that merchants avoid Westbank like the plague; stating that "You people have nothing to trade and nothing to see." Kavos furrows his brow and decides to low, claiming that Westbank is once again producing spidersilk and that if anyone wants it they'll have to go through him from here on out. The guard's attention perks at this and he tells Kavos to wait a moment as he heads into Bryce's office, returning shortly saying that Mr Haverston is interested in a shipment of silk if Westbank can guarantee safe delivery. Kavos says that he will only negotiate with Bryce directly because there are more matters to discuss than just spider silk, however the guard says that Bryce was adamant that he not be disturbed. Kavos glowers and identifies himself as the Mayor of Westbank and tells the guard that however angry Bryce would be for a disturbance, he would obviously be angrier at the guard for destroying such a lucrative business opportunity. The guard wavers and steps to the side, Kavos being so damned persuasive. Kavos and Looman Stroll into the office and Bryce Haverston glances up from his stack of papers. "And you are...?" he asks, returning his attention to the documents which need his immediate approval. "Kavos Dasgrograv, Mayor of Westbank and faitfhul servant of Pelor." Kavos says with a slight bow. "And this is Sheriff Looman." Bryce stares at the two of them for a moment and then rings his faithful bell. Once his man arrives, Bryce sighs and says "Deal with him like you did the last one and the next time I'm disturbed boy, it's going to be YOU that winds up floating down river." the aging dwarf growls as his assistant visibly pales. "I've already been subjected to one of your sheriffs this week." Bryce says, returning his attention to Kavos and Looman. "What is it you want?" "That would be Gandil." Kavos says with a sad shake of his head, "Ran into some bandits on the road, poor lad. But I'm here to discuss us, not him. I'm proposing a business venture: our town is harvesting spider silk and we would love to trade it with your fine city." "Is that it?" Bryce asks with a grunt. "You could have saved a lot of trouble by just-" "Not quite, we'd also like to contract one of your merchants in the meantime." Kavos interrupts. Bryce smirks and nods saying that he's got the perfect man in mind. Kavos seems pleased and asks what the man sells. Bryce smiles and answers "Whatever he can scrape together before he's banished to Westbank. Now, I trust you will see yourself out." the dwarf says, returning to his work. They leave the building and notice that a different guard is on duty now, shorter and stockier than the last man. Kavos tells Looman to hang back a day and escort the carpenters when they're ready; he assures Looman that he'll be alright by himself. He claims he has to commune with nature for religious purposes. Once he's separated from Looman, Kavos rides to the forest grove of the unicorn; finding the beast waiting among the grove with a sizeable entourage of wolves and a handful of bears. It appears to be expecting someone. "Not the manflesh we were expecting..." says the unicorn, narrowing its eyes. Kavos realizes that the unicorn must have spoken to Gandil that fateful night and says that "Gandil's dead unicorn, he won't be coming any longer. I have other things to discuss however, things you will not like." "Such as?" the unicorn asks. "I have people moving into my town and I have need of wood, your forest is the most convenient source. There are also creatures in the lake which attack us in the night, if you have sovereignty over them I suggest you order them to stop or they will be dead very soon." Kavos says, more confidently than he feels. "The locathah of the lake are yours to do with as you please." the unicorn says dismissively, "The wood however, has a price..." Kavos raises his eyebrow questioningly. "The other manflesh offered to rid our forest of the magic stench. Go to the forest town and remove the mage and its experiments, however you can." the unicorn demands. "Do this and you may harvest the outskirts of the forest...within reason." Turning to one of the wolves the unicorn barks "Elfflesh! See that the manflesh does not overstep its boundaries." The wolf nods and disturbingly stands upright, shifting into the form of a young male elf as it does so. "This one is called Ibaeli. It came to us to learn the ways of the forest." the unicorn explains. "Now it will watch you, to ensure you do not take more than is owed." Ibaeli steps forward and stares Kavos in the eye. "I've heard of your evil acts." the young elf growls. "And...?" Kavos asks. The young elf seems taken aback. "What?" "They will continue, Ibaeli. Until such a time as I no longer feel the need to perform them." Kavos says, leaning forward mencingly, despite the fact that the elf has several inches on him. "Do we have a problem?" "I...guess not." Ibaeli says, no longer so sure of himself. Kavos turns to leave the forest and a massive ape leaps from the trees to land before him with a bestial grunt it tries to stare him down though the aging cleric simply sidesteps it. Kavos smirks at the creature and continues on. "Bring your pet Ibaeli, you'll need him."[/i] [/QUOTE]
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