Legacy of the Silver Dragon: Chapter 1 (Chickens, Demons, and a Missing Girl)

[Voda Vosa]

"Of course I did Elf. We took the girl to the temple. Turns out that if we had tried to cure the other thing we smashed its head in, she would have probably die. Go figure eh? I was right." The dwarf smiles, and pats the elf in the shoulders. "Look alive Antares, and tell me what you've found out digging down there. I'm dying to know now that there's no legion of wall crawling monsters at my back."

 

[Binder Fred]

All save Mysthyr

The young mage looses some of his smile: "Truly? But sunlight cured my hand most fully and completely... and how is young Anna then? Is she well?" He blinks, looking somewhat worried: perhaps things are not as easy as they seemed when he and Stellan first exited the well?

<Response Muzdin?>

"Ah, this is officer Gregof, who's in charge of this most peculiar case. And of course you remember Former-Anna?" This with a careful gesture towards the white-shrouded figure recumbent on the officer's desk -- a gentle (and probably futile) prod at the dwarf's ever-absent manners, they being in the presence of 'that thing' he so casually mentioned... "These are two of the other members of our Company, officer: Bosco Bracegirdle, ah - treasurer emeritus, and Muzdin Stonehand, sometimes follower of the dwarven God of Kept Secrets... When he is not asking others to reveal their own, of course." He's smiling though, robbing the comment of much of its venom: it *is* good to see them both! "We were - yes - We were just investigating the belongings of Former-Anna."

Another grand gesture at the desk behind which sits the grizzled, bearded form of the officer, on the only chair available in the entire barracks. The two new arrivals can now see that, in addition to Former-Anna's body, a large piece of parchment has been unfurled on the desk's farthest corner, its surface covered in compact runes writ in dark red ink. In front of the parchment, some of them holding it open, rests a series of items: a deflated, beat up pouch with the remnant of a sigil embroidered on it - dusty, torn, perhaps a tree -, it is still connected to a fairly fine belt which they recognize as that formerly worn by the female creature; 9 gold pieces in a small, half-scattered pile, a small translucent green gem, and a small scroll of paper, about a finger's length and twice as wide complete the set.

 

[Voda Vosa]

"Turns out that it depends on how much time have you been exposed. If it were not for the curative wards and spells, and the intervention of Pelor himself, I might venture to say; Purging Anna without killing her would have been impossible. I reckon 'dirt teeth' there wouldn't have been any luckier than she was. At least the sword is faster than the flames." Muzdim says, proving the elf's point of his lack of manners. He nods to the officer, and wonders towards the items. "What are these glyphs? Have you decipher them?" the dwarf asks, and looks at them casually, although his analytic eye tries to recognize the meaning.

OOC: What should I roll for recognizing the content of the scroll? I also don't remember where I put my character sheet, and also lost the list of spells in my secret stone!

 

[gambler1650]

All but Mysthyr, who from the sounds of it will be rejoining us soon...

*sounds of dice rolling behind a virtual DM screen as everyone comes into the room*

Gregof listens quietly as the others arrive, and the conversation between them all begins. When Muzdim moves towards the table, he sees the sigil (which he doesn't recognize), the coins and the scroll. The scroll has yet to be unrolled, but to both Antares' and the dwarven cleric's eyes, it appears to be of high quality paper. Stellan moves back from the table to give Muzdin (and Bosco) more room. Gregof's attention is also drawn back to the table and he mutters, "Wasn't there also a gem of some kind?" The gem is missing...

 

[Binder Fred]

All but Mysthyr

"Turns out that it depends on how much time have you been exposed. If it were not for the curative wards and spells, and the intervention of Pelor himself, I might venture to say; Purging Anna without killing her would have been impossible. I reckon 'dirt teeth' there wouldn't have been any luckier than she was. At least the sword is faster than the flames." Muzdim says, proving the elf's point of his lack of manners.

"Oh, so it *is* possible," concludes Antares with a partially restored smile, having (most irritatingly, in Muzdin's opinion <I'm going to assume >) fully noted the use of 'I might venture to say' and knowing the dwarf's usual propensity for pessimism (and things that make him right). "And Anna is well?" The smile is now fully back in place: "That is indeed good news. I am going to venture that Brother Myst is with her? Oh, my apologies: this is officer Gregof, who's in charge of " [etc]

Muzdin nods to the officer, and wonders towards the items. "What are these glyphs? Have you decipher them?" the dwarf asks, and looks at them casually, although his analytic eye tries to recognize the meaning.

Antares jumps in, fairly gushing enthusiasm now that they are in his domain of expertise: "Well, no - not so far - but - these are the runes that were carved above the stone altar, you remember?" As if it wasn't but an hour's past. He gestures excitedly to this and that part of the scroll as he speaks, as if it were map to an unknown country, and they adventurers planning a foray: "There was a - a most definite sense of... hunger? in its song -- very chaotic and most wrenching, like - like a wild torrent, with teeth? Very sharp here and here, and a little muffled, but also larger here? A strange eddy in this section, which- But all of it sang and flowed and danced around this symbol a little to sinister of center. Here. You see it? The five fold star with lines that seem to touch but don't, seem straight but are truly, abnormaly curved? That! That is the core of this watery country, the moon that pulses at-"

Gregof listens quietly as the others arrive, and the conversation between them all begins. When Muzdim moves towards the table, he sees the sigil (which he doesn't recognize), the coins and the scroll. The scroll has yet to be unrolled, but to both Antares' and the dwarven cleric's eyes, it appears to be of high quality paper. Stellan moves back from the table to give Muzdin (and Bosco) more room. Gregof's attention is also drawn back to the table and he mutters, "Wasn't there also a gem of some kind?" The gem is missing...

The young elven mage abruptly stops, looks down, then has to prevent both his hands from rubbing at his face, hard... Instead he extends one of those hands sideways, palm open, without looking: "Bosco, please?" There is actual pleading in his voice.

[sblock=If Bosco hesitates or denies]"If you don't have it, then there is sadly the matter of fair and equal separation of all those coins you gathered down there that I have yet to mention?" His hand is still there, even if it has wilted somewhat -- is wilting still...[/sblock]

OOC: Toric has PMed you then? Good news! And I see Whizbang is still active.

 

[gambler1650]

Stellan looks sharply over at Bosco, "Seriously? Bosco, c'mon. This kind of crap will get us into trouble here. It's one thing when we're out and about in hostile areas, but here?"

Gregof clears his throat and speaks up, sounding somewhat embarrassed... "Begging your pardon Master Elf, but I was watching the half... I mean, Bosco, since he came into the room." He doesn't elaborate further as to why there might be embarrassment in his voice. "I'm pretty sure he didn't take it."

 

[Voda Vosa]

The dwarf seems surprised, although it is not clear if it is because it wasn't Bosco who stole the gem, or if it was because someone beat him to it.

 

[Binder Fred]

Eliminating the Obvious

"Truly?" Antares blushes some in confusion and embarrassment.

"I... will apologize most flatly if you help find the thief?" he tries, unable to look Bosco directly in the eye quite yet. But truly, who better to outwit- whom? There is no one else in the room, and he can't at all believe Stellan or officer Gregof- And Master Stonehand, besides being by his side the whole time, would have sought to disappear the tiny scroll, would he not, as the most important source of potential knowledge...?

He still can't quite believe it, actually, tentatively poking the empty spot on the desk where he is sure he laid the tiny green gem not that many heartbeats ago, puzzled eyebrows raised high! Nothing but the tactile reality of a scratched wooden surface under questing fingers <I'm going to assume?>. "A mystery most.. sudden, and incomprehensible," he mumbles, amazed, before straightening and turning fully towards his sometimes friend, head cocked slightly to the side, face serious below the flowing, bi-coloured hair... "Will you help, Bo?"

OOC: Just for confirmation, *does* he touch only desk, Gambler (i.e. the gem hasn't turned invisible, slid under something else on the desk and/or fallen into some unseen crack or something)?

"Could it have rolled under the desk, perhaps dislodged by a careless gesture when I went to greet you, or blown away by freakish gust none here even felt?" He knows he is reaching for straws - no - dandelion seed on the wind, but yet, with Stellan helping on his side, can't help squatting down, one hand to the floor, and at least going through the motions of actually checking -- behind, under, Stellan even scraping his dagger into possible gaps between the floorboards (with maybe a bit too much enthousiasm?).

OOC: If the desk could hide something underneath, Antares will levitate it up so Muzdin and/or one of the others can check?

 

[Voda Vosa]

"Alright, close this place up, right now. We've got ourselves a wolf among the shepherds themselves. Everyone empty their stuff here on the desk, and I mean everyone." Muzdim orders, and leads with the example, putting his stuff on the desk, even his precious black orb; luckily, only Antares would be expert enough to unearth its secrets, and he could not study it long enough with oh so many other things going on. It was even more pleasant to hide a secret in plain sight.
The dwarf cast his gaze to the door, to see if there is anyone sneaking out.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

"Who, ME?"

Bosco turns out his pockets with an air of wounded innocence. After all, all his booty from their earlier misadventure has already been stashed and he had no need to steal from these folks -- especially since they seemed likely to go and get themselves killed soon enough, allowing him to take what he needed for funeral expenses and his trouble at that point.

The halfling lights one of his dampest, stinkiest, smokiest cigars and paces around the room, blowing the smoke into the darker corners as he wanders, wounded. (And looking in all the spots he'd hide, or stash a gem, if it HAD been him.)