Night's Embrace: Part 1--A Touch of Darkness

[Boddynock]

Kelloran listens wide-eyed as Titus translates the documents.

"So you mean that we've been helping to ... save the world? Wow!" he whispers, overawed.

Then his native toughness reasserts itself and he grins at the ranger. "Well, you can count me in. After all, I've got to recoup my losses somehow - and I guess there'll be some treasure along the way."

"Uh, if nobody else wants those other books, can I have them? And, um, Titus, could you teach me to read them? I mean, in between saving the world and so on."

[sblock=Irrelevant comment]So, this post is actually #1,111 for me. No big deal - just caught my eye![/sblock]

 

[Legildur]

"What worries me," continues Blunt. "Is that if the sacrifices are simply one man's perverted distraction from their real purpose, then the real purpose must be truly Evil indeed and against the laws of humanity!"

 

[Shayuri]

"The laws of any well-minded sentient people," Sulannus reminds Blunt, having listened to Titus intently.

"They intended to move at the coronation...but if they find we've raided this wizard's papers, they may feel their hand forced to move sooner. I think we'd better warn the rulers of this city with no haste spared!"

 

[jkason]

Titus Farrab, human ranger

Titus nods agreement to Kel's request to learn Abyssal. "I'm not much of a teacher, but I'll do what I can."

"The laws of any well-minded sentient people," Sulannus reminds Blunt, having listened to Titus intently.

"They intended to move at the coronation...but if they find we've raided this wizard's papers, they may feel their hand forced to move sooner. I think we'd better warn the rulers of this city with no haste spared!"

Titus flinches, though whether from pain or from the thought he's about to express is unclear.

"Biggest problem with the authorities is, how do we explain how we got these? It's certain they've found the broken window and the mess we made in that warehouse by now. And us with our respectable knightly friend still out of it..."

 

[Shayuri]

Sulannus blinks owlishly, then leans over to pat Titus' leg.

"I understand." She takes a deep breath. "Let me deliver the news and the warning then. I will confess to having broken in, to stealing these materials. Let them put me in prison if they must. I can...if I have to...ask for aid." She seems to wilt a bit at those words, as if the mere thought robbed her of vitality. "But even that is better than failing to warn anyone, and having some disaster happen because we hesitated."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"You mustn't do that to yourself...they will surely send you to prison, and they probably won't believe you, for a few reasons, one of which is that you can't read that paper, so you'll have to admit to having an accomplice, who could have also been the one to write it," Nhalia ponders, "Besides, even if we were lucky and someone here believed you, it would have to travel through levels and levels of command and have great luck to actually be heeded by somebody who can use the information, right?"

 

[Legildur]

"Then it is up to us," says Blunt. "But first we need to know what it is THEY intend to do."

"Any ideas on how we achieve that?" he asks.

 

[Rystil Arden]

"I have no idea...Titus, these were the cultists that caused such a stir a little while back, yes? I remember hearing about them, but father said that it was the humans' concern and not ours. Still...maybe there are those among the N'Tel-Quess who served in that conflict with whom we could speak? Also, if this other person was sending him letters, he is likely not located in this city, as then they could just talk face-to-face and avoid the risk of the message being intercepted. What the heck is this 'coronation' anyway, and where is it located?"

(OOC: Does anyone have Kn: Nob & Roy? Scratch that, I checked and nobody does, so nobody already knows the answer to that last, but you might be able to guess )

 

[jkason]

Titus Farrab, human ranger

"What the heck is this 'coronation' anyway, and where is it located?"

(OOC: Does anyone have Kn: Nob & Roy? Scratch that, I checked and nobody does, so nobody already knows the answer to that last, but you might be able to guess )

"Don't your kind have royalty?" Titus asks a bit incredulously.*

He shrugs, not waiting for an answer. "Coronation is when one royal sod passes on his crown to another. They make a big event out of it. Lots of bright colors, and lots more food if you're in the right place."

* ((OOC: Titus was unconscious for that princess stuff, after all ))

[sblock=Knowledge question]People can make an untrained Kn check for stuff under DC 10. I don't suppose this is a widely-known coronation, like the king of the nation (I'd figure everyone would know that was coming up), as opposed to some local noble? (in which case, maybe Kel's local knowledge would come into play?)[/sblock]

 

[Rystil Arden]

"We're ruled by the Council of Elders, led by the Coronal. And I know what a coronation is, in principle--I was just wondering what the one they were talking about is," Nhalia laughs.

(OOC: Unfortunately, it isn't a new reginal coronation, which I agree would be DC 10, nor is it a local noble. It's actually DC 15, or DC 12 for Sundarians. Most people who are 'in the loop' on nobility know exactly what and when it is, but commoners who don't have any interest in that stuff wouldn't really know. I would allow it as Knowledge Local for someone who had contacts and streetsmarts from the exact place where its happening around the time its about to happen because they'll hear about all the merchants, shipments, and other logistics related to the event, but that also doesn't qualify here )