NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 4246197" data-attributes="member: 11">Session #22– “Alarm & Intrigue” (part 2 of 4)Telémahkos screamed for help, but there was no sound. He leapt back, twisting to avoid the woman’s blade, crawling and rolling into the adjoining room.  As he grabbed the Steel Whip from the table beside his bed, he looked up to see the female assassin leaping on the bed and swinging her blade.  The shock of the blow vibrated up his arm as he barely got the rapier in place to block the weapon.The other assassin came running into the room and Telémahkos winced as his faked thrust was met with blow to the top of the head from the woman. As the other came to close him into the corner, Telémahkos dove through the corner window smashing the shutters as he went tumbling out.  He landed with a grunt in a bush in the garden one story below. A group of people walking by towards the market cried out with astonishment, but Telémahkos did not even notice them.  He rummaged in his sash and drew out a small clay vial and chugged down its contents.  A moment later he was invisible.  The man looked out the window for less than a moment, and then he was gone.  Telémahkos hurried around the corner to the entrance of the inn and spied Victoria of Anhur and Laarus of Ra returning from their time at the temple and a quick look around the market.  He crept behind them as they entered the inn and went upstairs.“Odd… Someone forgot to close the door to the suites properly,” Victoria commented when she noticed how easily it pushed open.  “Hello?” she called out.  She noticed the shattered plate, the basin and the blood.  “What happened here?”“Psst!” Telémahkos hissed as he quietly stepped into the room behind the two priests.“Yes, Laarus?” Victoria spun around, but the priest of Ra had done the same, a puzzled look on his face.“That wasn’t me…” Laarus said, turning back around halfway and reaching for his flail.“It’s me!” Telémahkos hissed.“Telémahkos?” Laarus’ countenance grew even more puzzled.“Yes!”“Are you…?” Victoria began, but Laarus cut her off. “Why did you use the potion?”“I was attacked!” Telémahkos said. He explained what happened; the maid that seemed to change, the magical silence.“So it was our maid?” Laarus asked, as Victoria walked over to the window and looked out.“Or someone disguised as her,” Telémahkos answered the priest.  “Regardless, they had swords…”“You there!” Victoria called to someone in a small group pointing to the window.  “Did you see anyone running from the inn?”“I saw someone in a white toga come flying out of the window and then disappear!” the townsperson called back.“The other one was waiting in the hall?  Perhaps they are still hiding nearby!” Laarus of Ra marched into the hall. Telémahkos hung back in the doorway, still flush with the adrenalin of the attempt on his life.  He looked around from there, nervously.Laarus pulled open a linen closet and there was the short round maid, gagged and bound.  He checked her hand for a wound, but there was none. “Telémahkos! Unbind her!” The priest commanded and walked over to the door to a set of suites further down the hall.“Open up in the name of Ra!” Laarus commanded those inside, knocking firmly on the door with his forearm.  “Victoria! Check the other suite! That’s an order!” He told the militant as she came into the hall.  She nodded and opened the door to the other suite being used by the Signers and began to check it.  By this time Telémahkos was crouched over the unconscious waitress, cutting her bonds.“What is it?” came a voice from the other side of the door Laarus was pounding on.“Open up!”“Who is it?” The voice asked with growing concern.“You can see for yourself when you open the door,” Laarus replied.  “I am Laarus of Ra!”“What’s going on?” The man said as he opened the door.  He was a middle-aged man in the clothes of a prosperous merchant, looking a bit bedraggled. “Anyone else in there?” Laarus asked. “No… What is happening?” the man asked, confused.  Laarus Raymer did not answer.  Instead he stepped across the hall and began to bang on that door, and when no one answered, he broke it open with his shoulder.“You know… I could unlock those for you if you needed me to…” Telémahkos said, but in that same moment Barton Digits came running up the back stairs. “What in the Nine Hells is going on up here?!”“One of ours was attacked, up here in the suites,” Victoria replied as she came out of the other suite. It was empty.“Oh on! That’s horrible! I shall call the watch!” The innkeeper turned to go back down the stairs.“No, you should wait…” Victoria said. “If the perpetrators are still around the watch might scare them off.  I would rather they think they have another chance to attempt their assassination…”“No, Barton, you are right… Call the watch…” Telémahkos said, still invisible.“Who? What?” Barton Digits turned towards the disembodied voice, cringing and stepping away.“It’s Telémahkos Briareus,” Telémahkos said. “I was the one attacked and am keeping out of sight…”“Oh… OH! My door!” Barton noticed that Laarus had broken down the door to one of the suites as the priest of Ra came out from searching that area.“Yes, call the watch…” Laarus said. “Do not concern yourself about the door, I will pay to replace it…”  Barton hurried down the steps and Victoria followed to check the backdoor and the rear garden for signs of the assassins. There were none.  She walked into the common room and saw it mostly empty, except for a few of the afternoon regulars.Timotheus Smith and Markos Ackers returned in that moment, having met up with each other at The Sign of the Black Sword, a tavern in the ‘bad part of town’ they frequented whenever in Sluetelot.“Telémahkos was attacked in the suites, the watch are on their way,” Victoria said, ascending the front steps to go back to Laarus and Telémahkos.“What do you think this was all about?” Markos asked Timotheus, with a smirk.“Probably a jealous husband…” Tim smiled.In the suite Telémahkos told his tale once again, and as he did, stopping for frequent questions the potion of invisibility wore off and he was once again visible.“I think that if someone is trying to kill Telémahkos the best way to catch them is to stage some situation where he appears to be vulnerable,” Victoria said.“No, that is not what we are going to do,” Telémahkos frowned.“So what do we do about this?” Victoria asked.“What are we going do?  I’m going to have a new bodyguard, and his name is Tim,” Telémahkos slapped his cousin on the shoulder, and walked around him keeping his arms about his shoulders. “And he’ll be protecting me all the times, and not going off to get laid.”  Telémahkos squeezed his cousin’s shoulder in a pinch and Tim slapped at his hand.“Ow! I have to follow you around now and not get to do anything I want to do?” Timotheus whined.“Yes…” Telémahkos smirked.“Bast’s Teats! Fine! But half the time you’re gonna have to follow me around and go where I wanna go!” Tim replied.“That’s how it works already anyway,” Telémahkos batted Tim in the back of the head playfully.It was then that the Captain of the Sluetelot Town-Watch arrived.Captain Angeleen Firth was a plain woman with a freckled nose and fiery orange hair.  She wore studded leather armor and the teal cloak that marked her as part of the Sluetelot Town watch.  She was accompanied by other watch-men who took up positions at the doors, and left to canvas the common room and market once Telémahkos gave the best description he could of the assassins, and then retold the tale once again to the captain.“So, Master Briareus, tell me, what have you done to earn the ire of <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Red+Lantern+Gang" target="_blank">Red Lantern Gang</a>?” Captain Firth asked.“Is that who attacked him?” Laarus asked.“The stone he described gives it away,” the captain replied. “Blood magic, and in particular the Blood Stones are a signature of Red Lantern assassins.”  She looked at Telémahkos again, obviously suspicious.“This must stem from the recent trip my companions and I took to Kraken’s Cove,” Telémahkos said. “Some people seem to think we are responsible for the massacre there…” “If it was the whole group then why did they attack you?” The captain asked.Telémahkos shrugged. “I was alone? I was the first on the list for some reason?  I don’t know…”Captain Firth was quiet for a long moment.  “It was probably the magic of the stone that changed her and created the silence… Someone is going to a lot of effort to have you killed… That would not be an inexpensive hire…”“We stopped an attack of theirs on <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Lavinia+Vanderboren" target="_blank">Lavinia Vanderboren</a> at the Vandeboren Manse in <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Quillton" target="_blank">Quillton</a>, a few months ago,” Laarus added. [sup]1[/sup]“My men and I will be looking for word of strangers in town or people asking after you,” the Captain said. “Please stay in town a few days at least in case we need to ask you more questions, and if you have questions, my office is in <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Havesting" target="_blank">Havesting</a>.”“I have question,” Timotheus said, smiling widely, enjoying the movement of her athletic form. “Can I bring you a drink?”“I am on duty,” she replied coldly. “If there is nothing else…” She began to walk out when Bleys arrived.“Master Bleys, a pleasure to meet you,” she said walking over and offering her hand. Bleys shook it. “I am Captain Angeleen Firth.  It seems there was an attack by the Red Lantern Gang upon one of your number.” She pointed at Telémahkos casually.  “I must investigate the matter, so I leave it to your companions to explain, but if there is anything I can do for you while you are here with us do not hesitate to ask.”When she left, Timotheus said, “She sure was a lot friendlier to you than she was to us…”“I have been appointed provisional watch-mage of <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Sluetelot" target="_blank">Sluetelot</a> until <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Barakis+the+Brown" target="_blank">Barakis The Brown’s</a> replacement arrives,” Bleys said.“Hey, congratulations!” Timotheus smiled and gave Bleys an approving slap on the shoulder. The young watch-mage was filled in on what had happened, and as usual his response was a quiet one.  He asked a few simple questions and then sat down to ponder the situation.  One of the serving maids arrived with a tray full of meat pies and pitchers of ale.“I have some ideas about this, but I am not sure we should talk about them here,” Telémahkos said.“Why not?” Markos asked.“They have to do with things we agreed we should not talk about,” Telémahkos replied.“I do not relish the idea of being overheard when we discuss these things,” Bleys said. “I suggest we walk out to the stables and go for ride in the country.  We can talk more freely…”“My ass still hurts from all those days riding back from the <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Disputed+Territories" target="_blank">Disputed Territories</a>,” Markos complained, but no one dignified his saddle sores with a response.It would not be the last time that the Signers of the Charter of Schiereiland would ride out for a few hours to discuss <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/The+Nine" target="_blank">the Nine</a>, <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/the+Coopers" target="_blank">the Coopers</a> and the Red Lanterns.On the way, Markos gave Telémahkos the potion of invisibility he had been carrying around. “In case you need one again,” he said.…to be continued…----------------------------------------Notes:(1) See Session #8</blockquote>

Verification