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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 2767570" data-attributes="member: 1210">Ferreting Out the Traitor“So who is the traitor?” wonders Jorgen aloud.  “Sir Galadon or Sir Harth?”“It seems more and more like we’ve been led around to all the wrong places since we got here,” remarks Otis.  Kyle nods.  “It had to be one of them!  No one else knew where we were going and what we were doing.”“Except the baron himself,” Otis mentions.There is a moment of silence at that, but then Colder scowls.  “That doesn’t make any sense.  That would make him a traitor against himself.”“Baron traitor?” asks Me.“No, we don’t think so.”“Who traitor?”“We don’t know yet.”“Crush traitor!”The group ponders for a few moments.  They are, of course, in the privacy of one of their rooms in the Spinning Dice.  They would be most uneasy having this conversation anywhere where they could be overheard.Dahlia says, “I have an idea.  We can go to one of them at a time, privately, and see what we can ferret out.”  Hrar, her badger, gives a loud purr.  “We could even see how each of them reacts if we tell him that we suspect the other advisor.”“That’s a good idea,” nods Otis.  My master couldn’t be a traitor... could he? wonders Colder, leaning against the wall.  He has remained silent until now; the others do not seem to be holding his affiliation with Sir Galadon against him.  Still, he doesn’t want to provoke any possible reactions... He sighs.  For now, at least, he will hold his tongue.“One more thing,” Kyle cautions.  “Don’t forget about the dragon.”Oh yeah, the dragon- Snowflake, the baby white dragon that devoured our heroes’ former companion, Cur Sed Seed.  Currently tied up in the dungeon beneath the citadel; our heroes have little enough idea what to do with him.  They have begun trying to sell him to Baron Rusk, who has shown sort of an abstract interest.The party sets out to execute their plan.  After some more discussion, they decide to begin by seeking a private audience with Sir Galadon.  It takes nearly an hour for the lord to have time for them; when he does, he is attentive but- at first- brusque.  But when they mention that they are trying to track down the traitor, he becomes much more interested. “Have you had any luck?” he asks.Dahlia hesitates, then- as nobody else seems to be picking up the pieces- she replies, “Well, we have some suspicions.”  She doesn’t really know how to broach the subject now that the moment is at hand, so she figures she’ll just barrel ahead.  “What would you say if we said that we had found some evidence that it might be Sir Harth?”“Inconceivable!” explodes Sir Galadon.  “Impossible!  I- I cannot conceive of it!”  He sits down heavily, bringing a hand to his brow.  He shakes his head sadly.  “What sort of evidence?”“Well- we don’t want to say just yet,” interjects Kyle.  “Not until we’re sure.  But we just wanted to warn you to keep your eyes open; be on the lookout.”“Of course,” says Sir Galadon darkly, “without evidence I would be more prone to suspect one of you than him.”“Oh, we know it’s not us,” Kyle responds, carefully keeping a straight face. “And after all, we were the ones who were almost killed in the graveyard,” Dahlia adds.They talk with him for a few more moments, probing for signs of treachery, but as soon as they leave, Colder says, “It’s not him.”“I agree,” nods Otis.“Nope, not him,” Dahlia assents.  The others seem to share the majority opinion.  “If it was him, I think he would have tried to point us more at Harth, especially if we already suspect him.”“Well, let’s see if Sir Harth will attempt to point us at Sir Galadon,” suggests Otis.  The party quickly makes an appointment to see the other advisor.  About twenty minutes later Sir Harth arrives, smelling of the perfumes of the baron’s court.  “How may I help you, my friends?” he smiles.“We’re trying to figure out who the traitor is,” begins Dahlia, and the group enacts their plan once again, this time asserting that Sir Galadon might be the traitor.“I can’t believe it!  Galadon- a traitor?  It cannot be!  And yet... someone must be the traitor.”  He looks at Dahlia, who is serving as the primary speaker for the party in the conversation.  “You say you have evidence, eh?”“Some,” she hedges.“We’re still developing the evidence,” Colder puts in.“How can I help, my friends?”“Well, just keep your eyes open,” Dahlia says.  “Be wary and watchful.”  After pondering for an instant, she adds, “Unless there’s anything else you could do...?”Thoughtfully, Sir Harth rubs his chin.  “Perhaps there is,” he says.  “Perhaps there is.”  He tells the party that Sir Galadon’s entire household is sometimes empty.  “When he brings them all, I could inform you by rubbing my brow like this,” he continues, demonstrating, “and you could rush to his home and search it.  Then you could alert me to whether you found any evidence by pulling your right earlobe (like this) if you did, and pulling your left earlobe (like this) if you did not.”After leaving their meeting, Otis immediately says, “It’s him.”There is a general chorus of agreement. “But how can we prove it?” wonders Dahlia.  “Knowing it- or at least believing it- is one thing; finding proof is another.”“Maybe we could search his house instead of Galadon’s,” suggests Colder.“Maybe do both,” nods Kyle.“Crush traitor!” growls Me.“Yeah, what if both of them are traitors?” Kyle gasps.  “That would be terrible!”“Then all is lost,” Dahlia says grimly.  “We just have to hope that isn’t the case.”Next Time: Our heroes check out the homes of Sir Galadon and Sir Harth!  What shocking evidence will they find?  Will they have enough to make an accusation?  Will their suspicions prove true??</blockquote>

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