Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 807065" data-attributes="member: 3448">First, I want to thank Yoji-san, The Maxx, Fajitas, and thatdarncat for their kind comments.  It's really what makes a storyhour worthwhile to write. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Now, on to more storyhour:Session 4:2/11/752The next day passes quietly in training.  Lhovrik spends the day practicing magical technique with Master Verifax and a few other wealthy, noble pupils.  Ginara splits her time between the sword school where she practices fencing and drills picking locks with a man Uncle Kinric has assigned to teach her.  Melania meets up with a friend of her parents who has her accompany him in his singing and storytelling.  Sister Aurora turns her attention to her religious duties, studying with Father Daybreak and performing routine duties in the temple.Dove spends most of the day drilling indoors and on guard duty.  While it is no longer raining, the practice fields are still a muddy mess.  After a long day of training, her captain approaches."I hear good things about your progress in training, Dovkania.""Thank you, sir.""In about a week's time, part of the Company is going to be doing some special work.  I've decided to include you in that group.  Make sure your equipment is in perfect order.  Part of the work will be ceremonial, and I want my troops to look good.  But it's not just ceremonial.  Make sure you're ready if there are any problems.""Yes, sir.  I'll be ready, sir."With that, the captain moves on.When Melania returns to a favored tavern after a long day of training, a local loanshark named Gwert strides up to her.  "Mind if I join you, Melania?""Of course not." Melania gestures to a chair.  It isn't wise to annoy Gwert or his friends.Gwert smiles at her, only somewhat unpleasantly.  "You understand that my associates and I keep watch over this part of the city.  We don't want any problems.  People who have paid for their protection need to be safe.  There were a few problems in the past couple of days, but I'm sure there won't be any more in the future.""Sure, I know that Gwert.  I wouldn't want to cause any problems for you."Gwert's smile broadens.  "Of course not.  I just wanted to make sure you understood my interests." The mood relaxes a little, and Gwert continues with more of a business attitude.  "I think it's time for one of your payments?"Melania pulls out her coin purse.  "How does twenty gold sound?  Things have been going well lately."Gwert takes the money.  "I'm glad to hear that.  To your future good luck." He lifts his glass a little and then departs.2/12/752Another day of training passes without incident.  Melania notices that Merik hasn't been seen for a few days.  A few questions turn up no news, however.2/13/752When Lhovrik attends his classes, he notices that one of the other regular students has failed to show up.  It wouldn't be the first time Balthrin cath Helur was too hung over from slumming the night before in theDocks to make it out of bed for magic practice.  Still, Lhovrik is a little concerned when he doesn't show up by the end of the day.  Balthrin could have just gotten himself into trouble.  But he is a cath Helur, and while not a particularly close relation of either Lir Sanek's garrison commander or Lord Inquisitor, any member of one of the three great families of Lir Sanek raises political questions.  Still, one day of absence is too little to worry about.2/14/752When Lhovrik arrives for his lessons in the morning, Balthrin's absence changes from worrisome to a problem.  One day could be chalked up to any number of harmless hijinks.  Two means something has gone wrong.  During a break for lunch, Lhovrik rushes to Ginara's fencing studio, pulls her out of her training session, and tells her about Balthrin's absence.  They agree to meet after their classes have concluded for the day to investigate.  In the meantime, Ginara passes the word to Melania and Dove, while Lhovrik goes to the Balthrin's home.Balthrin's branch of the family is not particularly wealthy for cath Helurs, so his home is similarly well-appointed to Lhovrik's own.  Lhovrik has been here before many times.  He greets Lady cath Helur and finds out that no one in the house has seen Balthrin since the 12th.  They assumed that he had simply arrived late and left quietly in the morning; it wouldn't have been the first time.  Lhovrik reassures Lady cath Helur that he'll find her son and returns to his classes for the afternoon.Meanwhile, Dove is with a small group of her comrades, practicing skills on a small strand of beach running along the base of the great bluffs that rise up to the west of Lir Sanek.  Far above them, the mighty fortress of Dro Sanek looms.  Dove moves forward, filling her role in the exercise, when something catches her eye.  A foot is sticking out from behind a boulder.  Part of the exercise?  They weren't expecting other people...Dove runs forward to check behind the boulder.  A body lies there, dead and bloated.  "Sergeant!  You should come and see this."Dove's superior hustles up.  When he sees what she's found his face turns grim.  With a glance at one of the soldiers, he says, "Run back to town.  Go to the Inquisitors and tell them that we've found a body."Taking her cue from the sergeant's curious looks while waiting for the Inquisitors, Dove looks the body over.  The body was a middle-aged human woman.  The cause of death is obvious: her throat was cut.  There are some additional cut marks on the body, but it's hard to tell if they were significant.  The only clue to who she was is her hands.  The hard, thick finger nails have fish scales underneath them.  A fishmonger, perhaps?After a few minutes, the soldier returns with a strange trio.  All three are dressed in dark cloaks.  Two wear long charcoal cloaks, with the hoods up, obscuring but not completely concealing their faces.  The third is dressed in actually black clothing.  In addition to the heavy hood, he wears a black cowl that completely covers his face and long black gloves.  A heavy sword swings at his side, and the shape of a shield can be seen, slung across his back.  He must be the Inquisitor sent to investigate.The Inquisitor carefully looks over the body.  Dove and her comrades confirm that the body is below the high-tide mark; she may have just washed ashore after being dumped.  After the Inquisitor finishes determining that none of the scouts have any additional information, he signals to the two men with him.  They immediately lay out a coarse canvass sack and lay the body in it.  Each takes an end as they follow the Inquisitor back to town.In the early evening, Dove, Ginara, Lhovrik, and Melania gather.  They exchange information about the disappearance and death before heading to the Docks to investigate.  Lhovrik leads them to some of the bars that he went to on the one occasion that he joined Balthrin on an excursion.The group spreads a little money around while questioning barkeeps and tavern wenches.  They quickly confirm that Balthrin visited the tavern with a friend a few nights ago.  Based on the description, Lhovrik is pretty sure that Balthrin's companion was Garent.  Lhovrik knows Garent, but not well.  To hear the barkeep tell it, both Balthrin and Garent wanted to follow up their drinking with a little wenching, but Garent was having more luck.  He left with a woman.  Balthrin had another drink or two, and then headed out alone.  The barkeep could easily tell that they were from a nicer section of town, but they seemed like they could take care of themselves.  Lhovrik heads back to talk with Garent, assuming that he hasn't also disappeared, while Ginara, Dove, and Melania continue investigating in this neighborhood.</blockquote>

Verification