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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 1926086" data-attributes="member: 3448">Session 16 (cont'd):Our heroes regroup, as the invisibility wears off.  It now seems that Desi is not in that building's basement, at least.  But they still know that the man who contacted Vannser must be inside.  Ginara and Dove both hide where they can keep an eye on the building, while the rest of the group go to a nearby tavern to wait for their signal.  Ginara keeps Misty, Lhovrik's familiar, with her.  Lhovrik finds the empathic smug contentment Misty sends him as Ginara pets her far more annoying than Misty's usual emotions.After a few hours of watching, the kidnapper emerges from the building.  Ginara and Dove both tail him and he shows no sign of having noticed them.  After a few minutes of walking, he enters a small store.  Ginara and Dove lurk outside and decide to ambush him if he heads back to his home.  Ginara ducks in one alley, while Dove waits in another 50 feet further on.  Each readies her sap, or in Dove's case, saps.Sure enough, the kidnapper begins walking back the way he came.  As he approaches the alleyway where Ginara waits, he spots her waiting with her sap out.  He warily draws two daggers and gestures at her, letting her know that she's been spotted, but makes no aggressive moves.  Ginara straightens up and makes it clear that she's not planning on attacking an aware target.  The kidnapper walks onwards, unperturbed but more alert.  After all, this sort of thing happens in the Docks all the time.When he spots Dove a little later, his attitude changes.  His face betrays recognition and worry, and he turns to run.  Unfortunately for him, Dove is faster and leaps out from the alley to begin battering him with her saps.  Ginara runs up to help, and the man begins fighting back, sure that his only hope of escape is to defeat one of his attackers.  But before the combined attack of both Dove and Ginara, he is quickly pummelled unconscious."Quick," says Ginara, "let's get him into the alley where we won't draw any attention.""Right." They drag the unconscious form back into the alley and hide it behind a pile of rubble.  "How can we get the rest of them to join us to interrogate him?"Ginara looks at the cat, contentedly sitting by her feet.  She begins petting it, pleading "Good Misty, send for Lhovrik, tell Lhovrik we need him, let Lhovrik know to come." Misty just purrs and snuggles up to Ginara.  Back at the inn, Lhovrik only feels an increased sense of happiness and tries even more resolutely to ignore Misty.  After a few minutes of ineffectual pleading, Ginara gets a pained expression on her face.  "I'm really sorry about this Misty..." At the end of petting Misty, Ginara grabs the cat's tail and yanks hard.  The sudden feeling of fear, surprise, and pain gets Lhovrik's attention."We should go.  Something's happened to Misty.  With luck, she won't make it, but we need to make sure Ginara and Dove are okay."It still takes the rest of the group some time to find Ginara, but they eventually do through a combination of Dove looking for them and knowing that Dove and Ginara are somewhere near the tenement.  When they are all gathered near the prisoner, Lhovrik proposes a plan."I'll cast charm on him, we'll wake him up, ask if he's my friend, and then we can see if the charm worked.""I'd lie, if I were in that situation," Sister Aurora objects.  A second later, she clarifies, "I mean, I wouldn't lie, but I think he would.""Right.  So I'll just have to start asking him some questions."The group carefully binds and gags the prisoner, and Lhovrik casts his spell.  They then wake the prisoner up.Lhovrik begins speaking.  "You know that you can trust me, right?"The prisoner nods."Can you write?" The prisoner nods again.  "Untie one of his hands so that he can write." Dove unties his right arm, but looms menacingly over him.  "Could you write your name, so I know what to call you?"--Olin Charit.  Can you untie me?"My friends won't let me.  But you can trust me.  I won't let them hurt you."Olin pauses.  --Your friends are dangerous.  You need to get away."They won't hurt you.  They're just worried about Desi.  Do you know where Desi is?"--Yes."Where is she, Olin?  We need to know that she's safe."A war of wills takes place as Lhovrik tries to use the power of the charm to force Olin to answer.  Olin shakes his head.  --Can't tell you.Olin gestures at where he already wrote "Your friends are dangerous."The group leaves Olin back in the alley and moves further out to discuss what to do next."I won't be able to compel him to answer," explains Lhovrik.Sister Aurora points out, "I could cast a zone of truth.""But he wouldn't need to answer."Sister Aurora looks grim.  "I think we should just zone of truth him and leave me and Vannser in a room with him." Several other people seem slightly shocked by this suggestion, but Vannser nods enthusiastically.Lhovrik responds, "We would need to move him first to a place where no one would hear him before we do that."Sister Aurora points out, "I can cast silence.""Ummm...then we won't be able to hear him." Vannser reminds Aurora, who looks quite crestfallen.</blockquote>

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