[4e] The Wolfcrown, Chapter 1

[DistractingFlare]

[sblock=ooc]Ready to move on?[/sblock]

Captain Scultone grunts.

"No removing of components until I say so. Ready? Let's go."

Scutlone walks down to the dungeon with you, past several squads of well-armed soldiers. Eventually, you arrive in a familiar dungeon. The Captain leads you to the cell that held you and your companions only a week ago. He draws a heavy ring of brass keys and unlocks the iron gate with a CLANK.

The dragonborn slides the door inward, and hastily lights a torch with a book of matches. He places the torch in a blackened sconce on the wall, then turns to you, speaking slyly.

"I now present you -"

"Captain Scultone, I think they already know who I am."

The voice that cut off Captain Scultone comes from a shadowy corner of the cell. A figure can be seen standing up, and then from the shadows emerges a tall, slender, and undeniably handsome tiefling, dressed in full pirate captain's attire.

"But in case they haven't, allow me the dignity of my own introduction. My name is Wilhelm Teach, High Captain of The Cloak and Chief Secretkeeper for Lord Munsu himself."

The (surprisingly charming) tiefling extends his manacled hands toward the group in a gesture of respect.

"You can leave us now, Captain Scultone. I assure you, I'm mostly harmless now."

Scultone grunts. It's obvious he carries an immense amount of disdain for Teach. Scultone looks at you.

"Yeah, okay. Just don't kill this son of a harpy...yet."

Captain Teach smirks as Scultone leaves.

"So dramatic."

 

[Shayuri]

"High Captain of the Cloak, hm?" Thorn asks. "Not sticking to your story?"

She rested a hand on the hilt of her sword easily, not gripping its hilt, but clearly thinking about it.

"Not that there is a Cloak any longer. I watched them sink as they fled the White Vale in disarray. Is that a secret Munsu entrusted you with?"

 

[HolyMan]

Torath takes his acustomed spot in the corner near the door to the cell. The upper half of the paladin lost in the flickering shadows of the torch.

Though unseen his body language speaks loudly that he has eyes only for Teach. The folded arms and slight spread of his feet also shout that he is holding himself back from taking the tiefling by the throat and strangling out what he wants to know.

But truly do I want to hear the words? Will I believe one such as he? Munsu's deception could just as easily be worked in reverse, this Teach may just be another dupe of The Master Deceiver. Torath stands quietly lost in his own turmoil and let's the others handle the interrogation of the prisoner.

 

[Rathan]

Doren gripped the bars of the cell with visible white knuckles. He wanted this tiefling extremely badly broken and driven before the feet of not himself.. but that of the people of Black Lake. THEY were the ones that lost a true and honorable leader and yet those gathered here were blamed. He did not hate the man for his twisted involvement in Dorens capture and later his escape, but he did however blame him for the turmoil he had caused when Lord Hood was assassinated. A man of steadfast courage and the patience to deal with his people even on an individual basis.... a rarity now a days. he bore a hole on the tieflings face with his cold and blink-less stare... he wanted to just enter the cell with no weapons.. no armor and BEAT the man within an inch of his pathetic little life. Soon Dorens mouth opened to speak his eyes cold and dark and a smirk played upon his face the Teach as he spoke...

"I thought I would never hear myself say this Teach... BUT... but... I make an exception in your case... when we kill you.. and that's not an if... that IS a *when* it will be the first death I've witnessed that I will actually ENJOY being witness to...." Doren said coldly... a side of himself revealed that he kept strictly hidden and buried only to play upon the light of day when emotions ran too high... "I will make you feel the pain and sorrow of *every* man, woman, and child for whoms leader was *taken* from them here in Black Lake.... and each and every elven man, woman, and child from whoms their fathers, brothers, and children were taken from them in the White Vale. You will *beg* us for salvation and once I hear it I for *my* part will give you none. I hope you have plans for the afterlife too Teach for I will find a way to sully them as well. You *will* pay for what you have done and death is only the first step to repentance my 'friend'" Doren added as he finally went silent his hands still white knuckling the bars of Teaches cell.

 

[industrygothica]

Baern stays back in an opposite corner, happy to let the others do the talking.

 

[DistractingFlare]

Teach smirks, then responds slowly - measuredly - as if he takes pleasure in the rebuke.

"Your name is Doren, yes? That's a speech that would make Blackmoor himself proud. I've met him, you see. I've met all of the Big 4. Whenever he opened his mouth, Blackmoor made an ass of himself, just like you. Maybe you will get your chance to kill me, but once you do, we won't be so different."

Teach takes a moment, then looks over at Thorn.

"And you, bitch, shouldn't talk like that."

 

[Rathan]

Doren turned up his lips into a long and eerie looking deathly smile... his eyes dark and black as the tiefling before him tried to goad him on... he nodded his head softly to the mans words as he finished he spoke..

"Exactly what I wanted to hear.... I'll be back Teach.. this I promise." Doren said as long from his throat he uttered a dark and ominous chuckle as he turned and released the bars he had in a death grip and moved to walk from the mad-mans cell without a word of anyone else, just a dark brooding stare over tired bags under his eyes...

 

[Shayuri]

"So he didn't tell you," Thorn said, ignoring Doren for the nonce. All her attention was on Teach as she tried to read his body language. "Not much of a Chief Secretkeeper then, are we? But then again, you can't be High Captain of what no longer exists either. Well then, I'll back up a bit and fill you in."

"After the assassin sent to White Vale failed, the Cloak set forth in ships to do by main force what stealth couldn't do...bring down the Queen. They were beaten though, in the pass, and another assassin who made it into the city was killed. The Cloak was thoroughly defeated, and as the remains sailed away, their ships were struck down...as if by the hand of the gods."

She let that sink in for a moment.

"The reason I tell you this, 'teach,' is because you need to understand that there will be no rescue attempts. No black-masked figures creeping into the dungeons over the bodies of guards on the floor with their throats silently cut. No one stepping out of the shadows with keys, and no double agents in the castle staff. The Cloak is gone. Dead. Your god has abandoned you. You are alone here, with us, and no one is coming to help you."

"Prove yourself valuable, and you'll live. Fail to talk, or fail to provide any useful information, and your sentence, thus far delayed, will be carried out. With, I might add, considerable zeal."

"What say you, 'teach?' Tell all and save your skin. You certainly don't owe the Cloak or Munsu any loyalty now."

 

[HolyMan]

Drawing his blade Torath steps towards the teifling, "And any more blasphemy from you and I will cut out your tongue," he says holding the sword level with Teach's chest.

"You can write what information we need as well as speak it."


Torath visibly takes control of himself and lowers the blade. He steps away before doing something he might regret. He casts a glance at Thorn, not sure what she means by trying subleties on one such as Teach.

 

[industrygothica]

Baern raises an eyebrow at the teifling's comments. The urge to plant his hammer into the man's face and then make Thorn a necklace from his horns is strong, but the dwarf fights through, never touching his weapon. Instead, he busies himself plucking dirt from his fingernails while the others carry on.