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The Realms of Enlightenment: The Grey Companions
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<blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 428159" data-attributes="member: 2323"><p><strong>[PLAIN][Realms #187] No Honor Among Thieve[/PLAIN]</strong></p><p></p><p>It didn't take Ledare more than a moment to decide on her course of action. "Hold!" she yelled through the door. "I'll remove the bar."</p><p></p><p>"Hold up, men," they could hear the Watch Sergeant say and the ram stopped. "Open these doors in the name of the King!"</p><p></p><p>"Help me with this," Ledare hissed to Ruze. She was working at the bar with one hand while she fished in her pouch for the King's writ with the other. With the Battleguard's help, she removed the bar and the guardsmen piled inside immediately.</p><p></p><p>They were dressed in studded leather and armed with a mix of spears and broadswords. Their commander, easily identified by the breastplate that he wore, stepped forward as his men leveled their weapons at Ledare and Ruze and Kirnoth.</p><p></p><p>"Gwias Batelstan of The Bellman's Guild has accused this establishment of both murder and witchcraft," the captain told Ledare and she held up the King's scroll.</p><p></p><p>"We are on a mission from the king to rid the city of skaven," she explained as the guardsman carefully read the dispensation. "They have been crawling around under the streets in the sewers."</p><p></p><p>"Aye," the man said, handing the scroll back to Ledare. "I had heard similar tales of rat men from Sergeant Griffith. He said that the King had dispatched a team of specialists to deal with the problem."</p><p></p><p>Ledare wasn't at all sure that the term 'specialists' applied to her and her companions, but she accepted the term and moved on. "Our search for them led us here to this slaughter house," Ledare explained as she slipped the writ back into her belt pouch. "We managed to kill four of the skaven, but their leader is still on the lose."</p><p></p><p>The Sergeant seemed very interested in this and turned to one of the armsmen who was already jotting down details of the exchange. "Did you get a look at him?" the Sergeant asked. "Can you identify him?"</p><p></p><p>"It's not a him at all, Sergeant," Ledare said. "It is Mom, herself. We believe she may have bolted when we killed her sons."</p><p></p><p>"Mom?" the man writing notes asked, looking up from his paper, slack-jawed. The Janissary nodded and the man went back to scribbling with his stick of charcoal.</p><p></p><p>"She and her sons have been selling meat pies at the festival tainted with human flesh," Ledare said gravely and this time the note-taker actually dropped his paper as he startled.</p><p></p><p>"Are you serious?" the Watch Sergeant asked, his face twisted with disgust.</p><p></p><p>"There are carts with hired help selling pies in the street," she replied.</p><p></p><p>"I know," the man said. "I ate one yesterday for lunch. I was planning to do the same today."</p><p></p><p>"Aye," the note-taker concurred, his face gone pasty white. "We all did."</p><p></p><p>"Don't do it," Kirnoth suggested.</p><p></p><p>"We need to close down this whole operation quickly to prevent others from eating them," Ledare ordered. "Salvage any leftover pies for inspection. The individuals manning the carts are most likely oblivious to the contents of their wares, but they should all be carefully questioned."</p><p></p><p>"Aye," the Sergeant agreed. He paused to spit on the floor before turning to his men. "Split up into two teams. Half of you head to the arena and confiscate all meat pies from Mom's Shoppe. The rest of you are to stay here and secure the area against the rat men's return."</p><p></p><p>The armsmen started to split off and Ledare spoke loudly so that they all could hear her. "We are still looking for the one they call 'Mom'," she told them. "Get as much information from her as you can, but be mindful that she is not human and is capable to changing form."</p><p></p><p>The group that was heading for Kakadiador voiced their assent and the Sergeant added, "Do not spread word of this amongst the fair-goers or we'll have a riot on our hands! Seize the pies and detain the sellers, but do not spread word of either rat men or cannibalism!"</p><p></p><p>As they hurried off, the Sergeant turned back to Ledare. "I have to report this to Watch Commander Oxnard," he said. "I pray to Sato that we're in time to put a stop to this madness."</p><p></p><p>As they headed away from the horrors of Mom's Pie Shoppe, Kirnoth protested the decision to leave Mom's capture to the Watch.</p><p></p><p>"I believe we should try to locate Mother quickly before she gets too far away," he asserted, but Draelond had another suggestion.</p><p></p><p>"I'm thinking we head back to Grey House, open the chests up and see if they contain anything of significance," the man suggested. He had a chest under each arm and Finian carried the third. "Then I think we should consider heading to Othelwood to prevent the birth of this 'king' that the drow's note and the pieman mentioned."</p><p></p><p>"Yes," Finian concurred. "I want to search the chests, too."</p><p></p><p>"I agree with Draelond and Finian," Ledare nodded. "Let's get those chests open."</p><p></p><p>"But Mom could be getting away entirely while we waste time with these," Kirnoth maintained.</p><p></p><p>"I assume by the scratch marks that the skaven were also interested in the contents," Ledare continued. "I bet the chests were stolen and brought back to the nest. Whatever they contain was important to them. And I think that makes them important to us."</p><p></p><p>"Ruze?" Kirnoth asked. "You agree with me, don't you?"</p><p></p><p>The Battleguard shrugged. "Actually, I choose to side with Ledare. She IS the Janissary," he said and Kirnoth threw up his hands in frustration.</p><p></p><p>"I will try picking the lock if possible when we get back to Grey House," Finian said, looking at the brass keyhole with some interest.</p><p></p><p>"Good idea," Ledare agreed but after a few moments' pause, Draelond cleared his throat.</p><p>"I don't know all of the background well enough to make any distinct connections between the various individuals we've faced in the last days, but I recall that we found a keyring with three bronze keys on Fendathial," he conjectured. "Do you suppose they go to these same three chests?"</p><p></p><p>"Using the three keys is a brilliant idea," the Janissary replied, clapping Draelond on the back.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Abernathy threw open the front doors of Grey House as they crossed the courtyard. His face betrayed the worry in his heart. "Thank the gods you're all right!" he said as they mounted the front steps. "When Master Omrixx came running back here to collect your things I thought surely that something terrible had befallen you all."</p><p></p><p>"Omrixx is here?" Finian asked, his tone hovering between concern for the half-elf he considered his friend and annoyance that his supposed friend had abandoned them all in the heat of battle.</p><p></p><p>Abernathy looked confused. "Well... no," he replied. "I thought that he'd be with you. Isn't he?"</p><p></p><p>"No," Finian said. "What did he say to you when he came back here?"</p><p></p><p>"Just that there had been trouble and you needed all of the gear from Mistresses Mice'talaburra and Fendathial," the manservant said. "He collected it all, as well as several things from upstairs and headed back out. I assumed it was to bring it back to you."</p><p></p><p>"Dammit!" the Archer hissed and sprinted toward the Morning Room where they had left all of the gear that Kirnoth hadn't yet examined for magic.</p><p></p><p>"My spellbooks!" Kirnoth cried out with a start and ran for the stairs.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Gone.</p><p></p><p>All of it.</p><p></p><p>Everything that they had taken from Mice'talaburra, Fendathial, and The Hand of Four that seemed even remotely valuable was gone. So too were all of Kirnoth's spellbooks - his own, Andamacles', and the spellbook of Charlay the Brown that Allenthe Thurgoodman had given him.</p><p></p><p>Finian's ears had darkened to a scarlet that Ledare hadn't seen since he went sprinting our after the orc in the underground ruin where Soriah had died. Kirnoth just sat staring off into the middle distance. Without his spellbooks, his days as a wizard were over...</p><p></p><p>"I- I AM sorry," Abernathy said for what seemed like the hundredth time. "He was very convincing and-"</p><p></p><p>Ledare raised her hand to quiet him. "It wasn't your fault, Abernathy," she said. "Why would you ever have suspected this from him? After all, we brought him here, did we not?"</p><p></p><p>"Do you have any idea where he might have gone with everything?" Draelond asked quietly, trying to be helpful without treading too heavily upon the group's betrayal.</p><p></p><p>"Not really," Ledare said with a shake of her head.</p><p></p><p>"He's very good at hiding," Finian said with restrained fury. "But I swear that one day I will find him!"</p><p></p><p>"I guess we don't get to test my theory about the three keys," Draelond sighed.</p><p></p><p>"No," Finian answered. "But we'll still see what's inside these chests."</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Twenty minutes later, Finian had opened the three chests with a set of finely crafted thieves' tools Abernathy brought him. As he and Draelond had initially surmised, only one of the chests contained coins - about 200 gp worth of mostly silver Crowns and electrum Eagles. The second held a carefully folded suit of fine leather armor and two well made, but unadorned shortswords. The last was by far the most interesting. Lying within like an odd-shaped bit of discarded snakeskin was a familiar leather glove - its surface heavily stained by dried blood.</p><p></p><p>All save Draelond recognized it at once as Selejian's Glove of Petrification that had been stolen five days earlier by the wererats.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jon Potter, post: 428159, member: 2323"] [b][PLAIN][Realms #187] No Honor Among Thieve[/PLAIN][/b] It didn't take Ledare more than a moment to decide on her course of action. "Hold!" she yelled through the door. "I'll remove the bar." "Hold up, men," they could hear the Watch Sergeant say and the ram stopped. "Open these doors in the name of the King!" "Help me with this," Ledare hissed to Ruze. She was working at the bar with one hand while she fished in her pouch for the King's writ with the other. With the Battleguard's help, she removed the bar and the guardsmen piled inside immediately. They were dressed in studded leather and armed with a mix of spears and broadswords. Their commander, easily identified by the breastplate that he wore, stepped forward as his men leveled their weapons at Ledare and Ruze and Kirnoth. "Gwias Batelstan of The Bellman's Guild has accused this establishment of both murder and witchcraft," the captain told Ledare and she held up the King's scroll. "We are on a mission from the king to rid the city of skaven," she explained as the guardsman carefully read the dispensation. "They have been crawling around under the streets in the sewers." "Aye," the man said, handing the scroll back to Ledare. "I had heard similar tales of rat men from Sergeant Griffith. He said that the King had dispatched a team of specialists to deal with the problem." Ledare wasn't at all sure that the term 'specialists' applied to her and her companions, but she accepted the term and moved on. "Our search for them led us here to this slaughter house," Ledare explained as she slipped the writ back into her belt pouch. "We managed to kill four of the skaven, but their leader is still on the lose." The Sergeant seemed very interested in this and turned to one of the armsmen who was already jotting down details of the exchange. "Did you get a look at him?" the Sergeant asked. "Can you identify him?" "It's not a him at all, Sergeant," Ledare said. "It is Mom, herself. We believe she may have bolted when we killed her sons." "Mom?" the man writing notes asked, looking up from his paper, slack-jawed. The Janissary nodded and the man went back to scribbling with his stick of charcoal. "She and her sons have been selling meat pies at the festival tainted with human flesh," Ledare said gravely and this time the note-taker actually dropped his paper as he startled. "Are you serious?" the Watch Sergeant asked, his face twisted with disgust. "There are carts with hired help selling pies in the street," she replied. "I know," the man said. "I ate one yesterday for lunch. I was planning to do the same today." "Aye," the note-taker concurred, his face gone pasty white. "We all did." "Don't do it," Kirnoth suggested. "We need to close down this whole operation quickly to prevent others from eating them," Ledare ordered. "Salvage any leftover pies for inspection. The individuals manning the carts are most likely oblivious to the contents of their wares, but they should all be carefully questioned." "Aye," the Sergeant agreed. He paused to spit on the floor before turning to his men. "Split up into two teams. Half of you head to the arena and confiscate all meat pies from Mom's Shoppe. The rest of you are to stay here and secure the area against the rat men's return." The armsmen started to split off and Ledare spoke loudly so that they all could hear her. "We are still looking for the one they call 'Mom'," she told them. "Get as much information from her as you can, but be mindful that she is not human and is capable to changing form." The group that was heading for Kakadiador voiced their assent and the Sergeant added, "Do not spread word of this amongst the fair-goers or we'll have a riot on our hands! Seize the pies and detain the sellers, but do not spread word of either rat men or cannibalism!" As they hurried off, the Sergeant turned back to Ledare. "I have to report this to Watch Commander Oxnard," he said. "I pray to Sato that we're in time to put a stop to this madness." As they headed away from the horrors of Mom's Pie Shoppe, Kirnoth protested the decision to leave Mom's capture to the Watch. "I believe we should try to locate Mother quickly before she gets too far away," he asserted, but Draelond had another suggestion. "I'm thinking we head back to Grey House, open the chests up and see if they contain anything of significance," the man suggested. He had a chest under each arm and Finian carried the third. "Then I think we should consider heading to Othelwood to prevent the birth of this 'king' that the drow's note and the pieman mentioned." "Yes," Finian concurred. "I want to search the chests, too." "I agree with Draelond and Finian," Ledare nodded. "Let's get those chests open." "But Mom could be getting away entirely while we waste time with these," Kirnoth maintained. "I assume by the scratch marks that the skaven were also interested in the contents," Ledare continued. "I bet the chests were stolen and brought back to the nest. Whatever they contain was important to them. And I think that makes them important to us." "Ruze?" Kirnoth asked. "You agree with me, don't you?" The Battleguard shrugged. "Actually, I choose to side with Ledare. She IS the Janissary," he said and Kirnoth threw up his hands in frustration. "I will try picking the lock if possible when we get back to Grey House," Finian said, looking at the brass keyhole with some interest. "Good idea," Ledare agreed but after a few moments' pause, Draelond cleared his throat. "I don't know all of the background well enough to make any distinct connections between the various individuals we've faced in the last days, but I recall that we found a keyring with three bronze keys on Fendathial," he conjectured. "Do you suppose they go to these same three chests?" "Using the three keys is a brilliant idea," the Janissary replied, clapping Draelond on the back. Abernathy threw open the front doors of Grey House as they crossed the courtyard. His face betrayed the worry in his heart. "Thank the gods you're all right!" he said as they mounted the front steps. "When Master Omrixx came running back here to collect your things I thought surely that something terrible had befallen you all." "Omrixx is here?" Finian asked, his tone hovering between concern for the half-elf he considered his friend and annoyance that his supposed friend had abandoned them all in the heat of battle. Abernathy looked confused. "Well... no," he replied. "I thought that he'd be with you. Isn't he?" "No," Finian said. "What did he say to you when he came back here?" "Just that there had been trouble and you needed all of the gear from Mistresses Mice'talaburra and Fendathial," the manservant said. "He collected it all, as well as several things from upstairs and headed back out. I assumed it was to bring it back to you." "Dammit!" the Archer hissed and sprinted toward the Morning Room where they had left all of the gear that Kirnoth hadn't yet examined for magic. "My spellbooks!" Kirnoth cried out with a start and ran for the stairs. Gone. All of it. Everything that they had taken from Mice'talaburra, Fendathial, and The Hand of Four that seemed even remotely valuable was gone. So too were all of Kirnoth's spellbooks - his own, Andamacles', and the spellbook of Charlay the Brown that Allenthe Thurgoodman had given him. Finian's ears had darkened to a scarlet that Ledare hadn't seen since he went sprinting our after the orc in the underground ruin where Soriah had died. Kirnoth just sat staring off into the middle distance. Without his spellbooks, his days as a wizard were over... "I- I AM sorry," Abernathy said for what seemed like the hundredth time. "He was very convincing and-" Ledare raised her hand to quiet him. "It wasn't your fault, Abernathy," she said. "Why would you ever have suspected this from him? After all, we brought him here, did we not?" "Do you have any idea where he might have gone with everything?" Draelond asked quietly, trying to be helpful without treading too heavily upon the group's betrayal. "Not really," Ledare said with a shake of her head. "He's very good at hiding," Finian said with restrained fury. "But I swear that one day I will find him!" "I guess we don't get to test my theory about the three keys," Draelond sighed. "No," Finian answered. "But we'll still see what's inside these chests." Twenty minutes later, Finian had opened the three chests with a set of finely crafted thieves' tools Abernathy brought him. As he and Draelond had initially surmised, only one of the chests contained coins - about 200 gp worth of mostly silver Crowns and electrum Eagles. The second held a carefully folded suit of fine leather armor and two well made, but unadorned shortswords. The last was by far the most interesting. Lying within like an odd-shaped bit of discarded snakeskin was a familiar leather glove - its surface heavily stained by dried blood. All save Draelond recognized it at once as Selejian's Glove of Petrification that had been stolen five days earlier by the wererats. [/QUOTE]
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