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Message: <blockquote data-quote="arwink" data-source="post: 1364115" data-attributes="member: 2292">“Right,” Geoffrey announces.  “You’re coming to talk with me.  Amarin, Yip, you two figure out what that thing was guarding.  Blarth, watch the door and make sure we aren’t disturbed.”Malden pales visibly as Geoffrey issues orders, scratching nervously at the back of his hand.“W-w-what are we t-t-t-talking about?” he asks, shaking with fear as Geoffrey strides over to him.“Murder,” Geoffrey says simply.  “And three men who claim they don’t remember doing it.”“Mm-m-m-murder?” Malden squeaks.“Oh, this is going to take forever,” Geoffrey says bitterly.  He reaches for his holy symbol and mutters a command word, filling the area with the pale aura of absolute law and honesty.“Do you know what this is?” Geoffrey asks, holding up the glowing holy symbol.“N-n-n-no.”“It’s the mark of a Justicar, and its magic demands honesty from all who speak in its presence.”Geoffrey pauses, leaning closer to the frightened smith.“Don’t attempt to lie,” he orders.“I w-w-w-won’t.”“You were the apprentice of Bjorn Harnotha?” “Yes.” Malden frowns, his expression suddenly very nervous. “Were?”“He’s dead,” Geoffrey says simply.  “Killed while trying to betray the crown.”“R-r-really?”“Really.”For a few seconds, Malden almost looks relieved.  Then he catches sight of Geoffrey’s scowling face once more.“You look happy about that.”“Bjorn w-w-w-wasn’t a g-g-g-good master,” Malden stammers.  “He k-k-kept secrets, didn’t t-t-teach me much.  Told m-m-m-me to stay away some days because old friends were visiting.”“What old friends?”“I d-d-d-don’t know,” Malden wails.  “Some old comrades, he s-s-said.  V-v-veterans from his unit in the w-w-wars.  W-w-w-we used to work for them a lot, making weapons.  H-h-he h-h-hit me if I asked anything more than that.”Amarin appears at Geoffrey’s shoulder, his expression filled with sympathy for the frightened boy.  He reaches out to tap the cleric on the shoulder.  When Geoffrey doesn’t notice the light gesture, Amarin tries hammering on the shoulder plate with a fist.  “What?” Geoffrey says, turning swiftly.“Under the forge,” Amarin says.  “It might be relevant.  Gold, a box containing some reddish ore, a sword and this.”Amarin holds out a note.  Geoffrey snatches it from his hands and reads.    “Damn,” Geoffrey says.“Something bad?” Blarth asks.“Bloodsteel,” Geoffrey explains.  “It’s a guantian ore, alchemically cursed.  Slowly causes the person using it to fall into a rage.”He turns and stares at Malden, still cowering against one wall.“Do you know which weapons he made with this?”Malden shakes.“N-n-n-no,” he squeaks.  “B-b-but we could check the ledger.”“People forging cursed weapons tend not to keep records about it,” Geoffrey sighs.“B-b-b-Bjorn would,” Malden explains.  “M-m-m-military training, a-a-a-and he marked some blades and t-t-told me not to sell them unless he was t-t-t-there.  I g-g-g-g-guess they’re probably the ones he u-u-u-used the b-b-b-b-”“So most of them are still here?” Geoffrey asks, cutting into Malden’s stutter..“N-n-n-no,” Malden says, his expression crestfallen.  “W-w-w-without Bjorn here, I h-h-had to sell old stock.  I d-d-don’t work f-f-fast enough to make a living, and it’s been m-m-m-months.”“Damn it,” Geoffrey swears.  “Grab me the blades you’ve got left, the ledger and anything that was in that forge.  We have to go see Cammar.”“We help the king?” Blarth asks.  “Stop mercenaries dying?”“It should do it,” Geoffrey says.  “But the bad news is that there’s more of those swords out there, waiting for the owners to use them.”Everyone rushes around the store, following the stuttering directions of Malden as he reads from the ledger.  When everything is ready, Geoffrey shackles the smith with the power of his holy symbol and starts marching him towards the St Cuthberitte headquarters.  As soon as he’s sure the frightened smith wont try to run, Geoffrey drops back beside Amarin.“By the way,” he asks, trying to be descreet.  “Exactly how much money did he have hidden with the ore?”</blockquote>

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