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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3353645" data-attributes="member: 35788">The following day, the foursome decided to set off and return to the Shrouded Tenor.  Something they had done during their first visit had obviously touch someone who knew how to find the Bloodseeker.  They were confident that the message had been received in spite of their inability to handle Bloodseeker’s coming to Huetown and the burned out villa.  Of course, this was assuming that the man who appeared out of the forest was indeed Bloodseeker.  However, that seemed like a reasonable assumption to make.The Drakontai returning to the villa from Ausaphaborishan’s Valley would likely be another week in coming.  Iasho and the foursome had gotten a good start on replanting the fields.  It was undeniable that there was still plenty of work that could be accomplished if they remained at the site of the destruction.  However, in spite of the necessary work the party still headed to Huetown.Rhema looked down from her horse at her father who was standing at her side.  “Are you sure that you wish us to leave, father?  We could get a fair amount of planting done today.”Semeion turned to look at the sky to the east just above the trees.  “The weather looks favorable, at least.  It should be a clear and bright day for work in the fields, but it doesn’t feel like it’ll be too hot to work the ground, either.”Iasho smiled pleasantly but dismissed the comments of the party.  “No.  The work of the villa will be done when we have time to do it.  The workers are returning home, and they are growing quite skilled in learning how to care for the earth and the plants within.  They can do that work if it still needs doing when they arrive.  You four are the only ones who can find this Bloodseeker in the present.  A day away from the fields will not hurt us any more than the fire already did.  Go, and have a profitable day looking for the man who came yesterday.”Rhema once more looked down upon her father with love in her eyes.  “And you will promise to be  safe?  If we leave, you will be alone.  Should Bloodseeker return with reinforcements you could be caught.”Iasho allowed a soft chuckle to pass through his person and out of his mouth.  “What would they want with an old farmer?  They have already destroyed my home and my ability to maintain my wealth.  If they were at all serious about wanting me for any reason, then there are far better means to reach that purpose.  If they want an old man, I will not be afraid.”Ischarus laughed heartily.  “You are far from old, Iasho.  The work that you have accomplished so far in preparing the land demonstrates that.  You do not give yourself enough credit.  But even so I agree with you.  I do not think it is you that they are after.  If someone wanted to kidnap you and they knew about the work that this villa supports, they would have waited a few weeks.  By then we would have been well on our way to Quehalost and away from the villa for several weeks on end.  Then they could have taken you and allowed their trail to grow cold before we returned.”Abijou pawed at the ground.  Charis looked to the west in response.  “The horses are restless, today.  It’s been a while since they’ve done anything but pull boulders and burned timber across the ground.  For their sake, I think we should be on our way, and with haste.  Let’s let our horses run as they desire.”Ischarus smiled and nodded at Charis’ encouragement.  He spun Elistra around and with a quick jab of his heel she sprang forward.  The remaining three horses didn’t need much encouragement from their riders to follow Elistra.  As the nature of the horses governed, Shauvry soon overtook Elistra and lead the party to the road in the direction of Fingerdale.  The few miles would pass quite quickly with the speed of the horses consuming the distance.It took the party about as much time to reach Fingerdale as it did to find the Shrouded Tenor once they were within the city walls.  It was not permissible to allow the horses to move in any fashion quicker than a trot within the walls without a guarded escort.  Considering that the horses had been permitted to gallop much of the distance between Huetown and Fingerdale this regulation was actually helpful.  The speed regulations forced the horses to walk and cool down their muscles before being tied to the posts in front of the Shrouded Tenor.Once the horses were tied, the foursome strutted back into the tavern.  Semeion had originally been concerned about showing up together and revealing that their earlier show had simply been bait for anyone who knew Bloodseeker.  The rest of the party was quick to illustrate that their cover had already been blown.  If the man from the prior day was indeed Bloodseeker, he would now know that the presence of Darkbringer was a hoax.Inside the tavern, the scene looked much as it had almost a week ago.  Wolf the Stout stood behind the bar.  At the present, he was slaving over a cooking fire with a wooden spoon in one hand and a long cutting knife in the other.  The woman who had been talking to the dwarf the other day was once more seated at the bar, although this time the woman and Wolf were not in direct dialogue.  The rest of the tavern was composed of a smattering of patrons.  Some of the patrons were the same while others were new.The dwarf turned to look at the party as they opened the door to his tavern.  He automatically smiled at the sound of the opening of the door.  However, his smile quickly faded into bitterness as he recognized the foursome from before.  The woman sitting on the other side of the bar followed his glare across the room and also spotted the foursome.  Her smile did not vanish.Wolf lifted the spoon and pointed it in the direction of Charis.  “We’ll have none of your dramatic displays of power today, do you hear?  Your antics frightened away several of my good customers for a few days.  I’ll not tolerate that kind of behavior again!”The bartender’s voice was stern and his deep voice filled the room.  His tone was a ploy.  It was designed to come across as stern but reassuring.  Several of the patrons who were present both today and for the prior visit had begun to look nervous when Charis again walked into the tavern.  Wolf’s stern warning gave them the confidence that they needed to remain in the tavern with a feeling of security.The woman sitting by the bar turned back to the dwarf and continued to smile as though she were enjoying the scene.  “Wolf, please.  I rather enjoyed the show, myself.  The effects of the magic were dramatic, and there wasn’t any harm done to a single person at all.  In fact, I don’t think that any harm was done to your tavern, even.  Unless you want to count the fact that you had to relight a single candle.”Wolf frowned and allowed a grumble of disapproval to usher forth.  It was barely audible, although it wasn’t truly composed of words in the first place.  The grumble was merely a commentary regarding the dwarf’s impression of the fact that the woman was taking the side of the foursome.The woman continued to speak.  “Oh, Wolf.  Sometimes I think that you worry all too much.”Rhema approached the woman from her left side and rested her forearms on top of the bar.  “Oh, I can assure you that there will be no trouble today.  In fact, I can also reassure you in the fact that we’re here on official business only.  We’re not here to cause trouble.  We’re here to gather a bit more information.”Wolf sneered a bit.  “Seems to me that you were here to get information the last time you came.”Ischarus stepped up beside his wife.  “Oh, please, Wolf.  You know as well as I do that the last time we weren’t here at all to get some information!  We were here to disseminate some information.  We had a message to deliver.  Today is different.”The dwarf snapped a reply back to the much taller Drakontos.  “Just what kind of establishment do you think that I run here?  This is not some underground gathering for information!  We are not here to serve your communal needs.  We are here to serve some beef, chicken, and maybe a pint or two of ale.”Semeion smiled, but refrained from approaching the bar.  Instead, Semeion turned his head slightly so that he could take in many of the occupants of the tavern.  “And yet, Wolf, our message was received.  Someone in this establishment got the message that we intended to be delivered.  And my money is that you know who we are looking for.  I don’t think you are nearly as simple as you pretend to be.”The dwarf glared toward Semeion.  “I know no such thing!  This is an honest business!”Suddenly Charis reached out and touched Semeion on the forearm.  “Look!  There he is!”  Charis was pointing out the window next to the door.  The face of the man who had come to the villa yesterday walked past the window as if on his way to the door to come in.Together, Semeion and Charis charged the door.  Ischarus and Rhema had been focusing on Wolf, so by the time they turned around to look at the face of the man it had moved beyond the window.  As it was, they were slower in responding to Charis’ statement than Semeion.  By the time Ischarus and Rhema knew to move, Semeion and Charis were already at the door.The door sprang open from the inside.  Charis exploded through the door with Semeion immediately following her.  The young mage nearly collided with his wife as Charis stopped immediately upon bursting through the door.  When Semeion took time to look around at what Charis had seen, he understood why she had stopped short.Ischarus slowed once he saw that Charis and Semeion had stopped.  “Charis?  What’s wrong?”Charis shook her head.  “He’s gone!  I saw the face and shoulders walk past the window.  But he’s gone!”Semeion narrowed his eyes.  “I don’t like this.  Bloodseeker is playing games with us.  He is deliberately setting us up, and we can do nothing but fall victim.  This isn’t getting us anywhere.  We’ve got to figure out how to do this on our terms.”Slowly the door to the outside closed as Charis and Semeion stepped back inside.  The foursome had a dejected look about them, as if the confidence that had been so strong inside of them only moments before had now been deflated.  They took up occupancy in one of the booths along the wall opposite the bar and ordered and early lunch.[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]The following day, the foursome decided to set off and return to the Shrouded Tenor. Something they had done during their first visit had obviously touch someone who knew how to find the Bloodseeker. They were confident that the message had been received in spite of their inability to handle Bloodseeker’s coming to Huetown and the burned out villa. Of course, this was assuming that the man who appeared out of the forest was indeed Bloodseeker. However, that seemed like a reasonable assumption to make.The Drakontai returning to the villa from Ausaphaborishan’s Valley would likely be another week in coming. Iasho and the foursome had gotten a good start on replanting the fields. It was undeniable that there was still plenty of work that could be accomplished if they remained at the site of the destruction. However, in spite of the necessary work the party still headed to Huetown.Rhema looked down from her horse at her father who was standing at her side. “Are you sure that you wish us to leave, father? We could get a fair amount of planting done today.”Semeion turned to look at the sky to the east just above the trees. “The weather looks favorable, at least. It should be a clear and bright day for work in the fields, but it doesn’t feel like it’ll be too hot to work the ground, either.”Iasho smiled pleasantly but dismissed the comments of the party. “No. The work of the villa will be done when we have time to do it. The workers are returning home, and they are growing quite skilled in learning how to care for the earth and the plants within. They can do that work if it still needs doing when they arrive. You four are the only ones who can find this Bloodseeker in the present. A day away from the fields will not hurt us any more than the fire already did. Go, and have a profitable day looking for the man who came yesterday.”Rhema once more looked down upon her father with love in her eyes. “And you will promise to be safe? If we leave, you will be alone. Should Bloodseeker return with reinforcements you could be caught.”Iasho allowed a soft chuckle to pass through his person and out of his mouth. “What would they want with an old farmer? They have already destroyed my home and my ability to maintain my wealth. If they were at all serious about wanting me for any reason, then there are far better means to reach that purpose. If they want an old man, I will not be afraid.”Ischarus laughed heartily. “You are far from old, Iasho. The work that you have accomplished so far in preparing the land demonstrates that. You do not give yourself enough credit. But even so I agree with you. I do not think it is you that they are after. If someone wanted to kidnap you and they knew about the work that this villa supports, they would have waited a few weeks. By then we would have been well on our way to Quehalost and away from the villa for several weeks on end. Then they could have taken you and allowed their trail to grow cold before we returned.”Abijou pawed at the ground. Charis looked to the west in response. “The horses are restless, today. It’s been a while since they’ve done anything but pull boulders and burned timber across the ground. For their sake, I think we should be on our way, and with haste. Let’s let our horses run as they desire.”Ischarus smiled and nodded at Charis’ encouragement. He spun Elistra around and with a quick jab of his heel she sprang forward. The remaining three horses didn’t need much encouragement from their riders to follow Elistra. As the nature of the horses governed, Shauvry soon overtook Elistra and lead the party to the road in the direction of Fingerdale. The few miles would pass quite quickly with the speed of the horses consuming the distance.It took the party about as much time to reach Fingerdale as it did to find the Shrouded Tenor once they were within the city walls. It was not permissible to allow the horses to move in any fashion quicker than a trot within the walls without a guarded escort. Considering that the horses had been permitted to gallop much of the distance between Huetown and Fingerdale this regulation was actually helpful. The speed regulations forced the horses to walk and cool down their muscles before being tied to the posts in front of the Shrouded Tenor.Once the horses were tied, the foursome strutted back into the tavern. Semeion had originally been concerned about showing up together and revealing that their earlier show had simply been bait for anyone who knew Bloodseeker. The rest of the party was quick to illustrate that their cover had already been blown. If the man from the prior day was indeed Bloodseeker, he would now know that the presence of Darkbringer was a hoax.Inside the tavern, the scene looked much as it had almost a week ago. Wolf the Stout stood behind the bar. At the present, he was slaving over a cooking fire with a wooden spoon in one hand and a long cutting knife in the other. The woman who had been talking to the dwarf the other day was once more seated at the bar, although this time the woman and Wolf were not in direct dialogue. The rest of the tavern was composed of a smattering of patrons. Some of the patrons were the same while others were new.The dwarf turned to look at the party as they opened the door to his tavern. He automatically smiled at the sound of the opening of the door. However, his smile quickly faded into bitterness as he recognized the foursome from before. The woman sitting on the other side of the bar followed his glare across the room and also spotted the foursome. Her smile did not vanish.Wolf lifted the spoon and pointed it in the direction of Charis. “We’ll have none of your dramatic displays of power today, do you hear? Your antics frightened away several of my good customers for a few days. I’ll not tolerate that kind of behavior again!”The bartender’s voice was stern and his deep voice filled the room. His tone was a ploy. It was designed to come across as stern but reassuring. Several of the patrons who were present both today and for the prior visit had begun to look nervous when Charis again walked into the tavern. Wolf’s stern warning gave them the confidence that they needed to remain in the tavern with a feeling of security.The woman sitting by the bar turned back to the dwarf and continued to smile as though she were enjoying the scene. “Wolf, please. I rather enjoyed the show, myself. The effects of the magic were dramatic, and there wasn’t any harm done to a single person at all. In fact, I don’t think that any harm was done to your tavern, even. Unless you want to count the fact that you had to relight a single candle.”Wolf frowned and allowed a grumble of disapproval to usher forth. It was barely audible, although it wasn’t truly composed of words in the first place. The grumble was merely a commentary regarding the dwarf’s impression of the fact that the woman was taking the side of the foursome.The woman continued to speak. “Oh, Wolf. Sometimes I think that you worry all too much.”Rhema approached the woman from her left side and rested her forearms on top of the bar. “Oh, I can assure you that there will be no trouble today. In fact, I can also reassure you in the fact that we’re here on official business only. We’re not here to cause trouble. We’re here to gather a bit more information.”Wolf sneered a bit. “Seems to me that you were here to get information the last time you came.”Ischarus stepped up beside his wife. “Oh, please, Wolf. You know as well as I do that the last time we weren’t here at all to get some information! We were here to disseminate some information. We had a message to deliver. Today is different.”The dwarf snapped a reply back to the much taller Drakontos. “Just what kind of establishment do you think that I run here? This is not some underground gathering for information! We are not here to serve your communal needs. We are here to serve some beef, chicken, and maybe a pint or two of ale.”Semeion smiled, but refrained from approaching the bar. Instead, Semeion turned his head slightly so that he could take in many of the occupants of the tavern. “And yet, Wolf, our message was received. Someone in this establishment got the message that we intended to be delivered. And my money is that you know who we are looking for. I don’t think you are nearly as simple as you pretend to be.”The dwarf glared toward Semeion. “I know no such thing! This is an honest business!”Suddenly Charis reached out and touched Semeion on the forearm. “Look! There he is!” Charis was pointing out the window next to the door. The face of the man who had come to the villa yesterday walked past the window as if on his way to the door to come in.Together, Semeion and Charis charged the door. Ischarus and Rhema had been focusing on Wolf, so by the time they turned around to look at the face of the man it had moved beyond the window. As it was, they were slower in responding to Charis’ statement than Semeion. By the time Ischarus and Rhema knew to move, Semeion and Charis were already at the door.The door sprang open from the inside. Charis exploded through the door with Semeion immediately following her. The young mage nearly collided with his wife as Charis stopped immediately upon bursting through the door. When Semeion took time to look around at what Charis had seen, he understood why she had stopped short.Ischarus slowed once he saw that Charis and Semeion had stopped. “Charis? What’s wrong?”Charis shook her head. “He’s gone! I saw the face and shoulders walk past the window. But he’s gone!”Semeion narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like this. Bloodseeker is playing games with us. He is deliberately setting us up, and we can do nothing but fall victim. This isn’t getting us anywhere. We’ve got to figure out how to do this on our terms.”Slowly the door to the outside closed as Charis and Semeion stepped back inside. The foursome had a dejected look about them, as if the confidence that had been so strong inside of them only moments before had now been deflated. They took up occupancy in one of the booths along the wall opposite the bar and ordered and early lunch. [/Sblock]</blockquote>

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